Wendy MacNaughton..

We all ride public transportation sooner or later, some more than others, some more happily than others as well. I usually have my iphone to keep me busy, or distracted is more like it, not Wendy MacNaughton. No, Wendy keeps busy by drawing and sketching the over 400+ commuters in her series she has been growing for four years now. Everything about Wendy's work pulls me in, the scratchy sketching to the exquisite hand writing. I'd be honored if she caught me checking out to a recent app. on the 22 Fillmore. See more of Wendy's work on her new website and/or her blog where she posts pretty frequently. P.s. The last drawing is obvs not from a commute, but I fell in love with it...so up it goes.

Epson Develops New High-Resolution 3D LCD Display

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(PhysOrg.com) -- Seiko Epson Corporation has developed a high-resolution (equivalent to QVGA) autostereoscopic 3D liquid-crystal display that affords extra freedom of viewing position compared to conventional 3D displays, without the need for special glasses.

Demand is on the rise in the movie and gaming industries for 3D images that provide a different level of excitement from that offered by two-dimensional images. Conventional 3D displays are not up to the task due to their limited viewing zone and low resolution.

Epson's newly developed 3D display addresses these problems with a lenticular lens optimally designed for a view width of 31 to 32.5 mm. (Lenticular lens: A columnar array of cylindrical lenses that determine the view width by refraction). The development prototype presents sharp, vivid 3D images over a wider viewing zone than was previously possible. While 3D displays have often traded off resolution for enhanced 3D effects, Epson has successfully improved the perceived image quality by using "step 3D pixel array" technology.

To further popularize 3D displays and 3D content, Epson will promote the optimized 31-32.5 mm view width as an industry standard. Epson sees 3D displays that render scenes in sharp, vivid color as the next-generation of highly realistic displays and is working on proposals for delivering compelling entertainment to customers.

Technology features

[Optimized view width]

(1) Smooth 3D images

Epson's 3D display is a multiview system. Multiview systems are generally acknowledged to provide superior 3D image reproduction because the image that is visible changes along with the observer's vantage point relative to the screen. To heighten the illusion of depth in stereoscopic 3D images, design engineers can increase the number of views so that the image can be viewed from various head positions. The problem, however, is that increasing the number of views has led to a loss of resolution per view, since only so many pixels can be placed on a liquid crystal display.

Conventional multiview displays commonly employ lenticular lenses designed for a view width of 62 to 65 mm, a distance equal to the separation between the eyes of an average person. Epson, bucking the conventional industry wisdom that held the best view width to be the distance between the eyes, designed its system based on a view width of 31-32.5 mm. With a view width half that of conventional designs, combined with optimizations to prevent loss of resolution and add 3D information, Epson has succeeded in developing a display that offers smooth, high-quality 3D images.

(2) Wide viewing zone

Images on ordinary 3D displays designed with a view width of 62 to 65 mm can appear incorrect and be uncomfortable unless viewed head-on from a certain distance, since the eyes can detect a 2D image in portions of the display. The optimized view width on Epson's display reduces the appearance of visible 2D images and enables natural-looking 3D images to be viewed from a wider viewing zone.

[Step 3D pixel array technology]

To address the problem of resolution loss on multiview displays, Epson uses an image processing technology called "step 3D pixel array" that takes into account the sensitivity of the human eye to resolution loss in the horizontal direction. By minimizing pixel horizontal resolution degradation, Epson has improved perceived image quality to provide viewers with sharper, more vivid 3D images.

Provided by Epson

Intel Robson Technology For Desktop

Intel mentioned that Robson will have a version for desktop computers calledSnowgrass. The technology is currently in the works and is planned to bereleased after Robson. Motherboard makers will have designs that contain a slotdesigned to take a Snowgrass NAND module. Intel's current Snowgrassspecification calls for a modular design, but it now appears that motherboardmakers have the option of integrating the technology directly on board.

Lucky Draw Win ASUS P5E3 Deluxe This Saturday 29th Sept!!

Win it!!

This Saturday, 29th Sept, at ASUS WGT Finals at Funan IT Mall, a lucky draw will be held for all those present to enjoy the battle!! Everyone stands a chance to win this spankin new X38 Motherboard!!

What's more, learn some overclocking basics - given by yours truly ;)

So, be there or be Square!!

ASUS Uses SiS671FX On P5S-MX SE Board

SiS today proudly announced that the SiS671FX, which is integrated with theMirage™ 3 graphics engine, has been implemented in the ASUS P5S-MX SEmotherboard. ASUS P5S-MX SE is fully compatible with Windows® Vista™ and hasofficially been launched in the market.

ASUS, as one of the leading motherboard makers, highly appreciates theperformance of the SiS671FX chipset. Therefore, P5S-MX SE motherboard isequipped with the SiS671FX chipset aiming to perfectly release the power of thesystem.

Based on the SiS671FX chipset, ASUS P5S-MX SE motherboard supports FSB1066/800/533MHz Intel® Core™ 2 Duo/ Pentium® D/ Pentium® 4/ Celeron processors.It also supports DDR2-667 memory and allows up to 5.4GB/s of transmissionbandwidth. With SiS’s proprietary HyperStreaming™ technology, the SiS671FXenables to optimize the performance of the entire computer system. It smartlymanages the data streaming to flow effortlessly between the North Bridge andSouth Bridge, from the peripherals to the core logic chipsets, to the front sidebus, to the memory and to the graphic interface. The Mirage™3 graphics engine isalso integrated in the SiS671FX chipset to support 2D and 3D playback. TheMirage™3 graphics engine smoothes the image quality of the system when playinggames or watching DVDs. Moreover, the SiS671FX chipset equips one PCI Expressx16 slot which allows up to 4GB/s of bandwidth for each direction. Gamers do notneed to worry about further upgrading.

The SiS968 Southbridge is paired with the SiS671FX to strengthen the P5S-MX SEmotherboard. It supports PCI Express x1 interface, provides two high-speedSerial ATA connectors to speed up the data transmission process, and increasesthe stability of the system by supporting RAID0 and RAID1. Enabling users toenjoy Dolby digital and surrounding effects, the SiS968 supports 6-channel HighDefinition Audio. Also, the SiS968 has built-in 10/100Mbps Ethernet controllerfor Internet usage. Moreover, the SiS968 supports S/PDIF (Sony/Philips digitalInterface) to provide perfect digital signals by connecting PC with homeentertainment devices.

“The SiS671FX has received overwhelming responses from worldwide customers. Weforesee the great success will keep going and has a fruitful result.” said byDaniel Chen, CEO and the President of SiS.

ASRock launches Atom D2700 and D2500 mini-ITX motherboards

The ASRock related news arent over quite yet, as alongside its high-end boards, the company has also unveiled three new entry level Atom mini-ITX motherboards, all with Intels new D2x00-series of Atom processors. One of the new models sports the 1.86GHz Atom D2500, while the other two comes with the 2.13GHz Atom D2700.

Starting at the bottom we have the AD2500B-ITX which is a rather plain, almost dull looking board with a large passive heatsink covering the CPU and a really tiny one covering the NM10 chipset. The board has, rather unusually a pair of SO-DIMM slots, although as the new Atoms can accept up to 4GB of RAM, albeit in single channel mode, the two slots are at least somewhat useful.

Theres also a pair of SATA 3Gbps ports, a single PCI slot and a pair of headers for four USB 2.0 ports. The rear I/O consists of a range or ports that feel more like 1991 than 2011 with two PS/2 ports, a serial port, a parallel port, a D-sub connector, four USB 2.0 ports, a 10/100Mbit Ethernet port and 5.1-channel audio via three jacks. Overall not the most impressive board weve seen recently.

Moving up we have the AD2700B-ITX which swaps in the Atom D2700 over the D2500, but its not the only change. Although the board layout remains identical to the AD2500B-ITX, the AD2700B-ITX was upgraded with both Gigabit Ethernet and a pair of USB 3.0 ports making it an interesting board for a home server.

The third and final board is the most interesting of the three and its called the AD2700-ITX, a confusing similar name, but an entirely different board in many ways. Although youd be forgiven for thinking its yet more of the same if you take a quick glance at the top down view of the board, ASRock has overhauled the rear I/O entirely.

Here were looking at a single PS/2 port, four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, 7.1-channel audio with optical S/PDIF out and a D-sub, DVI and HDMI port. The general board layout is otherwise mostly the same, although theres a pin-header for a parallel port and a serial port not present on the first two models, but thats the only difference we can spot. We checked the manual quickly as we wanted to find out about the display connectivity and the good news is that both the DVI and HDMI port can be used simultaneously. The manual also suggested that there might be a version with the Atom D2500 of this board, although without USB 3.0 and with slower 10/100Mbit Ethernet.

One funny thing in ASRocks specifications is with regards to the GPU which ASRock lists as “Built-in IntelPowerVR SGX545” which isnt entirely true as the GPU is by Imagination Technologies and Intel calls it the GMA 3650 or GMA 3600 depending on which processors were talking about. If nothing else, ASRock has at least triple confirmed things for us. Once again we dont have any word on availability and pricing, but wed expect these boards to be out shortly.

Source: ASRock

At Least 3 ARMs In Apple iPhone

Warren East, president and chief executive officer of ARM Holdings plc, has confirmed that "at least three" processor cores developed at his company are present within the iPhone from Apple Inc. Further to an "email to the editor" which estimated that there may be three ARM processor cores in the Apple iPhone, reports came forward that the main CPU for the iPhone is a PXA320, formerly the Monahan applications processor from Intel, now supplied by Marvell. "ARM is in 90 percent of the world's [mobile phone] handsets; we're in WiFi, baseband processors and applications processors and most of the world's MP3 players. So it's at least three," East said.

ASUS New Wireless amp; PDA products

ASUS today introduced the WL-600g, the WL-500W and the MyPal A639 GPS PDA. The WL-600g is an all-in-one device that incorporates ADSL modem, wireless router and ftp printer server functions, while the WL-500W Super Speed N multifunctional wireless router adopts the latest 802.11n draft to deliver high-speed data transfer and unparalleled interoperability between n-draft devices. It also incorporates Download Master and USB Plug-n’-Share features for convenient digital content downloads and sharing of printer, webcam and external hard drive functions.

The MyPal A639 GPS PDA comes equipped with 1GB large storage capacity built in and provides ample space for GPS maps and digital multimedia contents. The all-new handheld device also incorporates advanced wireless connectivity, including GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth v2.0, to provide total wireless freedom.

Apple ordered to give HTC settlement details to Samsung

A judge has ordered Apple to hand over details of its settlement with HTC to rival Samsung, the latest victory for the South Korean electronics giant.

HTC settled with Apple earlier this month, carving out a ten-year deal to share each others patents. Details of the deal were not revealed, but analysts believe HTC was forced to pay out between $5 and $20 on each handset it creates.The exact nature of the settlement will now be disclosed to Samsungs lawyers, not the public at large, and it is expected that it will deal with some of the same patents at the heart of Samsungs own dispute with Apple.This will give Samsung an edge in any kind of negotiation to end the close to 20 lawsuits the companies are engaged in, but Samsung has previously indicated that it has no intention on settling, despite a whopping $1.05 billion damages payment it was ordered to pay to Apple earlier this year, a ruling it is now appealing.Apple has also had a run of bad luck with its legal battles, including losing an appeal in the UK and being forced to publish an apology on its website, not to mention a failed attempt to dismiss a case launched against it by Motorola, now owned by Google. This latest setback, however, could pave the way for even more losses on Apples side of the patent war.Source: BBC

AMD's next-gen GPUs to ship in 2011

At their last conference call for Q2 2011, AMD revealed that 28nm GPUs were on track for 2011. Moving forward to the Q3 2011 financial report, AMD still plans plans to ship for revenue the first next-gen GPUs by the end of the year.

Of course, while shipping for revenue does not necessarily translate to retail availability, it does mean AMD will be shipping next-gen chips to their AIB partners some time in Q4 2011. If all goes well, we will see AMDs first Radeon HD 7000 products in either late 2011 or more likely early 2012.

AMDs Graphics segment revenues increased by 10% over Q2 2011, and 4% over Q2 2010 to $403 million. AMDs overall results were better than the forecast revisions suggested.

Source: AMD Press Release

indie sidebar this “moon” has plenty of atmosphere—and gravity

First, the good news : at some unspecified future date, the world’s energy problems are finally solved. Now, the bad news : in order to get the mysterious substance known as “helium 3″ to power earth’s now-abundant fusion plants, we need to mine it from moon rocks, leading to long, lonely stretches of isolation for the astronaut-miners who plunder the far side of our satellite for precious minerals. I imagine the gig must pay well, but three-year stints alone on the moon with only a clunky faceless service robot for company? No thanks.

Such is the position Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell of “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” and “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” among other fine performances) finds himself in at the beginning of “Moon,” a brilliant metaphysical science fiction film that marks the debut feature from British writer-director Duncan Jones (David Bowie’s son). Absolute isolation with only his trusty metal buddy Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey) to talk to. Things take a turn for the well and truly unexpected, though, when Sam wakes up from crashing his rover-type vehicle in his tiny base’s infirmary only to be confronted by a slightly younger and less-haggard looking version of —himself.

From the beginning, “Moon” confounds expectation. My first thought was that we were headed for another evil computer story, a la the HAL subplot from “2001″ (mostly down to Spacey’s initial creepiness of Spacey’s delivery—but hey, he’s a robot, shouldn’t he sound—well—robotic?), but in truth what we’ve got here is an intense exploration of isolation, the meaning of memory, and an exploration of what it means to truly be human that can probably only be compared in terms of theme and style to Tarkovsky’s “Solaris” (we won’t even go near Steven Soderbergh’s horrendous 2002 remake of that classic because I could drone on for ages about what an absolute bastardization of everything good and decent in this universe that waste of celluloid represents).? It’s only a skin-deep comparison, though, as “Moon” really does stake out a thematic territory all its own and, like the heavy-duty lunar equipment central to its premise ( done entirely with models, by the way, as is the base itself—no CGI here, thank the heavens—all of which give the proceedings a vaguely “Space:1999″ feel that is, I’m sorry to use the term, way cool) mines it for all it’s worth.

“Moon” is a tricky flick to review because you literally can’t talk about anything after the crash without giving away major plot points, so, in the interest of actually hoping to get anyone who might be reading this to see it, I’ll refrain. I will, however, offer a caveat or two—

If you don’t like Sam Rockwell, you won’t like this film. He’s essentially the only character, even though there’s more than one of him. He gives an incredibly diverse and affecting performance that should be worthy of Oscar consideration, and to say he carries the film would be a massive understatement. He IS the film, and in the hands of a lesser actor we’d be in serious disaster territory here. It’s one of the finest performances of recent years, but if you’re not a fan of Rockwell’s you NEED to skip this movie.

Along those same lines, if metaphysical studies of the human condition aren’t your thing, “Moon” won’t be, either. It’s a deeply introspective work and a provocative meditation on just what it is that constitutes the very notion of humanity itself. If you’re in the mood for mindless summer fun, again, give this a pass.

But if you want to be challenged about what the concept of existence itself can actually be defined as, then “Moon” is a movie you owe it to yourself to see. It’s intensely atmospheric, true, but there is genuine substance underneath it all, much more than we’ve, sadly, become accustomed to of late. “Moon” is a film that makes you think, and then think again. It poses key questions about our nature as people and doesn’t dispense easy answers. It’s provocative without being preachy, and invites philosophical queries of genuine depth without being self-indulgent or resorting to navel-gazing. It’s a very-near-perfectly-constructed character piece that presents complex material in a naturally-flowing and entirely unforced manner.

And I can’t leave any discussion, one-sided as it may be, about the film without saying “three cheers for nepotism!” Jones proves himself to be a truly able director in his own right, but what are the odds of something this singularly character-driven, and without a truly “bankable” star in the lead role, getting made if he’s the son of a janitor instead of a music legend? I’m betting zero. So here’s to those who were impressed enough by the director’s pedigree to green-light his project. And here’s to Jones for not wasting his opportunity by giving us another self-involved, unbearably pretentious “arthouse” flick and instead making a film that isn’t afraid to take its audience on a journey inside without providing a trail of breadcrumbs to lead them back out. “Moon” isn’t afraid to ask probing questions, but it leaves the answers up to you to determine. As such, it’s a true rarity in modern filmmaking—a movie that will mean something different to each individual viewer.

ASUS To Ship 500K Xonar D2X Sound Cards

ASUS plans to ship 500,000 Xonar D2X audio cards which adopt C-Media's solutions in 2007 after seeing satisfactory sales following the card's introduction at CeBIT 2007. The audio card, which will primarily target the gaming market, features 3D sound processing and supports Dolby Digital Live, DTS and 5.1 surround sound. C-Media is reported to earn US$ 10-20 for each Xonar D2X Asustek sells. If Asustek reaches its target of shipping 500,000 units in 2007, or 100,000 units per month, the design house can expect royalty payments to reach US$ 5-10 million.

Asus Xtion Pro Live launching soon

If you head over to the Asus website youll notice that the company is currently running a competition where you can vote for the best software developed by a wide range of competitors for its Xtion Pro motion sensor (similar to Kinect for Xbox 360). However, the Xtion Pro is a very basic device, especially compared to Kinect, but it seems like Asus is getting ready to launch a more advanced model shortly, the Xtion Pro Live.

There are a couple of major differences between the Xtion Pro and the Xtion Pro Live. Although the Xtion Pro works just fine as a motion sensor it only has IR and depth of view sensors while the Xtion Pro Live gains a webcam, much like Microsofts Kinect. The webcam is hardly going to blow your mind, as just like Kinect, it tops out at 640x480 resolution. Surprisingly Asus has managed to keep the size of the unit the same, despite the additional sensor.

Another addition to the Xtion Pro Live is a pair of microphones, which could be handy for voice commands or web cam usage, one again following in the footsteps of Kinect. Asus is also opening up an app store for the Xtion where developers are going to be allowed to offer their goods for sale. Its somewhat amusing that Asus is claiming a world first and exclusive still, especially as a Kinect unit offers exactly the same features, well, not quite as the Kinect unit has auto tilting, a feature that Asus doesnt seem to have implemented.

We managed to find some pricing as well and this is where things arent looking so good for Asus, as according to Asusworld Italy, were looking at a retail price of €175 (S$300) which compares badly against buying a standalone Kinect unit for €95 (S$165). Even the Xtion Pro is quite a lot more expensive at €155 (S$270), so unless you specifically want to use the software from Asus app store, a Kinect unit will set you back a fair bit lessand itll work with an Xbox 360 as well. Were not sure when the Xtion Pro Live will be available, but considering pricing is already out; we shouldnt have to wait too long.

Source: Asusworld Italy

comix month, take ii joe matt’s “spent”

I don’t care who you are, what you do, where you’re at, where you’ve been, or where you’re going — reading the?disarmingly?confessional comics presented in Joe Matt’s fourth volume of work collected from his late (and lamented) Drawn & Quarterly-published solo series?Peep Show, a volume fittingly titled?Spent, will leave you feeling pretty damn good both about yourself and your lot in life.

Not because Matt is a master of “self-help” motivational pablum, mind you — just the opposite. In fact, I can pretty much?guarantee that unless you’re living under a bridge and slowly, painfully, starving to death, your life is better than Matt’s was at the time he wrote and drew the material that eventually became this book. He lived in a shit rooming house, worked very little, had almost no money (and clung to what little he did have like a miser), saw almost nothing of his friends, was obsessing over a particularly nasty breakup with his ex-girlfriend, and his “hobbies” were collecting old?Gasoline Alley comic strips, editing together the “best” scenes from various porn flicks into eight-and ten-hour VHS compilation tapes, and jerking off, quite literally,?all the goddamn time (there’s a reason there’s toilet paper all over the floor on the cover).

See? You’re not such a loser after all, are you? All that being said, while Spent?isn’t exactly an enjoyable?book to work your way through, it’s definitely an?engrossing one — in the same way, I suppose, that train wrecks are. And while it helps that Matt’s clean, cartoonish art style is very pleasing to the eye and that the author seems to be not only fully aware of, but ?as downright repulsed by, his own numerous personal shortcomings as we are, make no mistake — this is a grim record of a guy who’s hit rock bottom and is too disinterested at this point to even lift himself back up. It’s a heady stew of depression, immaturity, egocentrism, and inertia, all wrapped up in a toxic bundle of self-loathing that’s enough to make Robert Crumb look like “Mr. Positive” in comparison, and when you consider that Matt’s best friends, legendary Canadian cartoonists Chester Brown and Seth, have actually said that he lets himself off pretty?easy in his own work — well, the mind just plain boggles.

So, while it’s tempting to congratulate Matt for his fearlessness in airing out his own dirty laundry here, it’s also worth considering the very real possibility that he obsessively catalogues the mundanities of his own dead-end life for no other reason than that he’s simply so fucking lazy that he can’t be bothered to do the?work? that would be required to write and draw about anything else! All of which might make it sound like I’m being pretty hard on the poor guy — unless and until you read this book and realize that, if anything, I’m being rather generous with my assessment here.

Autobiographical material has always been something that appeals to a very small “niche market” in comics readership, most of whom would rather read about guys wearing tights and beating each other up (and yet Matt is considered a loser? Figure that one out), but even folks who are into autobio work will by and large find our guy Joe’s stuff to be, at the very least, thematically off-putting. I admit that it’s phrasing things very kindly indeed to simply say that his work is an “acquired taste,” and the fact that, God help me, I?enjoy this stuff probably says a lot of things about my own psychology that would bear close examination and analysis if I had the time, money, or guts to pursue them — but like it I do, and quite a bit, at that. Maybe it’s the juxtaposition of such solidly-rendered, highly-accessible art (and I find mixing ?some greys and greens into the black-and-white mix, as D&Q have done in this handsome hardbound collection, really works even though it sure?sounds like it shouldn’t) with such off-putting, inaccessible material that keeps me coming back to Matt’s work. ?Maybe I’m looking for someone to feel superior to and just chose an easy target. Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment. Or maybe I just like looking at train wrecks. Whatever the case may be, I’m definitely a Joe Matt fan — but I’d feel uneasy about shaking his hand if I ever met the guy, knowing where it’s been.

Postscript : Matt has moved on with his life, thankfully. He headed for LA some years back to pursue a possible HBO production deal for a TV show based on his work, and while it ultimately came to nothing, he has managed (somehow) to find himself a girlfriend and do some much-needed growing up. I’m friends with him on facebook (full disclosure) and he actually seems to be settling into middle age quite comfortably, even if it means (sadly) leaving comics behind (at least for the time being) and moving into freelance commissioned painting and illustration work. Hey — maybe there really is hope for any of us.

ASUS's Prototype 40-phase Z77 Motherboard - Wolverine!

The prototype ASUS motherboard codenamed Wolverine as pictured below shares an uncanny resemblance to the P8Z77-V series, with the obvious exception of the 40-phase power design. Annoyingly, silkscreen markings of the drivers and PWM controllers used were blacked out but it is certainly a radical departure from the usualDIGI+ VRM design. Time will tell if ASUS will (re-)adopt the marketing friendly "MOAR PHASES IS BETTER" metric approach, which is silly as there will be a diminishing point of return really.

For example, the ROG Maximus V Gene implements just 8+4 beefy phases, but that didnt hinder its prowness in claiming most subzero overclocking records.

believe the hype “district 9″ is at least as good as everyone is saying, maybe even better

Once in awhile, a movie comes along that proves everybody can, indeed, be right. It’s a rare occasion, to be sure, especially in a country where “Titanic” is the reigning all-time box office champion, but it does happen, on occasion, and your humble host is pleased to announce that one of those occasions is right now.

Over the past few months, the buzz around “District 9,” the debut feature from South African writer-director Neill Blomkamp and produced by the king of all geekdom himself, Peter Jackson, has been palpable, especially in sci-fi circles. The premise looked intriguing, to say the least : an alien spacecraft of enormous proportions ( a true “mothership” in every sense of the word) is hanging lifeless over Johannesburg, South Africa, for 20 years, and in that time its inhabitants, a mollusk/insectoid-type biped race referred to derisively as “prawns” by Joburg’s citizens have taken up “refuge” in a makeshift slum known as “District 9,” an improvised shantytown that’s a blatantly obvious metaphor for apartheid-era conditions for black South Africans under apartheid. While there are obvious parallels to be drawn here to the film (and later TV series) “Alien Nation,” which featured an ominous “mothership” that, like the freighter in “District 9,” proves to be a type of slave transport for alien “drone workers,” any similarities end there — not just because the locale is changed from Los Angeles to Johannesburg,, and the aliens in “D9″ are—well, a lot more alien,? but because Blomkamp’s film shows how the human race would probably deal with a sudden infusion of immigrants from space in a much more realistic fashion. Gone are the attempts to gradually assimilate the newly-arrived species into “proper” human society that formed the raison d’etre of “Alien Nation,” and in their place stands cold, brutal, unforgiving segregation, portrayed here in all its less-than-glory.

At the start of our story we’re introduced to Wikus (pronounced VEE-kus) Van Der Werwe(played by South African newcomer Sharlto Copley), a high-level bureaucratic functionary of MNE,? the Multi- National United corporation, a type of Blackwater-on-steroids private corporation tasked with administering the squalid ghetto that is District 9, who has been tasked with moving the alien population en masse under a flimsy legal cover to a new, even worse, concentration camp-style setting for the “prawns” further outside of town since Joburg’s? citizens have grown tired of their scavenging ways —not that they have much choice but to resort to bottom-feeding, of course, since they aren’t exactly being hired to work anywhere or offered any type of path towards assimilation into human society.

From the moment he enters the alien slum, teeming with rotting meat, every type of vice imaginable (and some you hadn’t imagined), unconscionable squalor, bad- ass Nigerian gangsters, and even-more-bad-ass alien weaponry and makeshift bioengineering, Wikus’ life undergoes a harrowing and literally gut-wrenching transformation that will? see him betrayed by members of his own family, made the object of a worldwide smear campaign, turned into a guinea pig for sadistic weapons experimentation and genetic manipulation, and eventually seek sanctuary among the ranks of those who, only hours before, he was in charge of evicting by any means necessary. For a guy with literally no discernible conscience to speak of, whose highest moral value seems to be the pursuit of expediency for the sake of his own career prospects, it’s on hell of a ride, and Copley is absolutely brilliant at conveying the inner transformation his character goes through as his physical reality changes so drastically and quickly. There’s Oscar talk about his performance already, and rest? assured, it’s entirely warranted. We have not heard anywhere near the last of Sharlto Copley.

The other great “acting” performance, such as it is, comes from Blomkamp’s CGI aliens themselves, especially Wikus’ makeshift “protector” and uneasy ally, a “prawn” named Christopher Johnson, and his young son. The facial “expressions”, subtle ticks, eye movements, and physical dexterity of Blomkamp’s aliens are a sight to behold, and even if there weren’t subtitles (apparently the humans and aliens can understand each other, though “speaking” the same language is physically impossible), the amazing range displayed by the CGI wizardry on display here would be enough to let audiences know what was happening with the “prawns” much of the time. I’ve been critical of CGI in a general sense in the past, and you know what? I’m probably going to be even more critical of it in the future, because “District 9″ sets the bar for any future endeavors so high that I frankly just don’t see how it can be matched. If the Academy doesn’t shower Blomkamp’s effects team with every technical award under the sun, there ought to be an investigation.

The CGI, though—impressive as it is—finds itself outdone by the actual physical setting of the film itself. I’ve never been to Johannesburg, but the arid and oppressive feel to the city that Blomkamp conveys on- screen makes the viewer believe that this is the type of town a giant alien spacecraft would be right at home hovering over. It just seems to fit right in with the heat, the degradation, the feeling of being watched everywhere.? This is a story every bot as much about the city it takes place in (and around) as it is about aliens, corporate scheming, the brutality of neglect, and social division. Johannesburg itself is a character in this film every bit as much as Wikus van der Werwe and Christopher Johnson.

If I’m giving the impression here that “District 9″ is more or less a flawless science fiction film, that’s because it is. Too often the idea of sci-fi as social allegory turns out to be a road to hell (or at least mediocrity) paved with good intentions, as whatever moral points being made either end up coming across as being heavy-handed or, alternatively, remain frustratingly oblique as the story pays more attention to the type of tech-heavy shoot-’em-ups we’ve seen a thousand times before at the expense truly exploring the often-interesting ideas underpinning the events on screen with anything resembling any definition of depth. “District 9″ walks a tightrope act in this regard from start to finish and succeeds brilliantly at realizing its tremendous potential as a comprehensive and intricate study of a displaced alien civilization, an admittedly obvious yet still tremendously powerful social fable,? an intense and provocative character study, and a frenetic, no-holds-barred, action-and-effects extravaganza.

People are going to be talking about “District 9″ for a long time. It’s already being discussed as a seminal work in the sci-fi genre along with films like “Blade Runner” and “2001:A Space Odyssey.” It’s a demanding, complex, intricate, and thoroughly realized work , a uniquely singular cinematic vision approached with tremendous confidence and not an ounce of hesitation. And it’s a a hell of a thrill ride, to boot. Sure to be among the year’s best and not to be missed under any circumstances.

Asus to launch Atom D2500 mini-ITX motherboard

Weve managed to dig out a few details of an upcoming mini-ITX motherboard from Asus featuring Intels Atom D2500 processor and although this isnt the most exciting platform in the world, Asus has created something a little bit different. In fact, anyone looking at building a home server with some fancy features might just want to consider this board.

The model name is D25NM10-I/CSM and its quite different from the boards weve seen from ASRock, as Asus is targeting quite a different market segment. In reality this ought to be an industrial PC motherboard judging by the fact that it has an LVDS connector, five serial ports (of which two are RS422/485 compatible) and even a pin header for a parallel port. However, Asus has also included a PCI Express x1 and a mini PCI Express expansion slot, a DVI port and a pair of Gigabit Ethernet ports making this an interesting solution for a home server.

Other features include an on-board DC-DC converter, 5.1-channel audio, a pair of SATA ports, a total of eight USB 2.0 ports (four via two headers), a PS/2 port, a D-sub connector and a pin header for S/PDIF out. Sadly we dont have a picture of the board, but we can imagine it being a fairly cramped board considering the amount of features Asus has squeezed in. Intel has finally allowed for up to 4GB of 1066MHz DDR3 RAM to be supported by its Atom processors and this further makes this a decent little server board.

The CPU is passively cooled and with an external power adapter theres no noise from the PSU either. The only limitation as far as a server is concerned is the two SATA ports, but at least a PCI Express RAID card could be connected to the PCI Express slot if need be. The question is how much Asus is planning on charging for this board, as we have a feeling itll be quite expensive due to all the industrial PC features, but we might be wrong here. No word on when itll be available, but wed expect it to arrive shortly.

ASUS to Launch 2nd Gen. Eee PCs in April 2008

DigiTimesreported that ASUS plans to ship 200,000-300,000 Eee PCs by the end of this yearand annual shipments for next year will grow to more than three million units atleast. The first batch of Eee PCs, which will hit the market in the second halfof September, will feature a 4GB SSD and 512MB memory. ASUS plans to introducesecond-generation Eee PCs in April 2008 which will feature Intel's Meromprocessors. The power consumption of the next-generation notebooks will reduceto 7W TDP, down from 11W TDP adding that it may remove the fan to save morepower and reduce noise. Apart from the ultra low-cost notebook, ASUS stressedthat the company is not ruling out the possibility of introducing a second brandfor its low-end notebook products in the future.

christmas with the psychopaths “silent night, deadly night 5 the toy maker”

And we wrap up the Silent Night, Deadly Night series in 1991, when Brian Yuzna returns (this time in the producer’s chair, with co-writer Martin Kitrosser directing) to again take the series in a seriously different direction.

This time around, Christmas is central to the story, which makes fora welcome change from the last installment, and the psycho-in-a-Santa-suit theme is back as well (sort of, it’s not really central to things, as you’ll see), but there any similarities to what has gone before end. Let me just whet your appetite for this flick by saying this much — it starts with a killer toy making mincemeat of some hapless stepdad and ends with a dickless robot humping away at the erstwhile heroine of the story and screaming “I love you mommy!!!!!!!”

Interested yet? I figured you would be, you sick fuck (takes one to know one). In between all that we’ve got a pretty bizarre little story, too — the dead guy’s stepkid, Derek, is understandably traumatized due to having witnessed his replacement father’s murder, and to cheer him up, his clueless mother, Sarah, offers to buy him a toy. She’s not just taking him to any toy store, though, she’s taking him to Joe Petto’s shop. Petto is something of an anachronism — in a world filled with Cabbage Patch Dolls and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, he still makes the toys he sells himself, in the workshop in the back of his store. Problem is, Petto’s gone off the deep end and is building toys specifically designed to kill their owners (namely, children) — there’s just one hitch : grown-ups seem to be stumbling across all his toys first and getting the deadly surprises he’s actually intended for the tots. Joe’s got an (apparently) unwitting accomplice in all this mayhem, too — his (again, apparently) teenage son, Pino, who doesn’t seem to age —

Okay, it’s painfully obvious what we’ve got going on here — a psycho version of Pinocchio. And while that’s a fun enough idea in and of itself, it’s the casting that makes this straight-to-video curiosity really stand out. First off, we’ve got a visibly autistic guy named Brian Bremer playing Pino. It’s hard to tell if he even knows what he’s really doing here. And as if that’s not enough, portraying his “dad,” Joe Petto, is none other than old-time Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney! Now, Rooney is scary enough in the film’s less lurid scenes, but as the full extent of his depravity becomes known (alcoholic, abusive father, child killer — you know the drill), he really pulls out all the stops and delivers a performance that is, if this doesn’t sound too contradictory, blood-curdlingly hilarious. And just to digress here for a brief moment, it’s worth considering that Rooney is one of the celebrities who was so shocked and appalled — just shocked and appalled, I tell you! — by the first Silent Night film that he added his voice to the coterie of busybodies who eventually succeeded in getting it pulled from theaters prematurely. I guess their money’s as good as anyone’s, though, and seeing how Rooney’s got something like eight or nine ex-wives to pay, he’s more than willing to put his high-and-mighty principles aside when the rubber hits the road.

There are a couple of tangential links to the series’ fourth cinematic chapter on hand here — Neith Hunter is back as Sarah, this time in a much-reduced role (she’s just shown as being the mom of a teenage kid), and Clint Howard returns as Ricky, who’s apparently moved up a bit in the world given that he’s no longer homeless and has a gig as one of Santa’s helpers at a local mall. That’s about it as far as connections to anything that’s happened previously, though, until Rooney/Petto puts on a Santa costume for his crazed finale, thus establishing a thematic link with the franchise’s beginnings (and given that this installment proved to be the end of the series, that ends up bookending things rather nicely).

On the technical front, Silent Night, Deadly Night 5 : The Toy Maker is, once again, available as part of the three-DVD Silent Night, Deadly Night Collection from Lionsgate. The digitally-remastered full-frame transfer again looks very nice, the Dolby Digital 2.0 sound mix is perfectly acceptable, and there are no extras included on the disc to speak of. Don’t let the bare-bones presentation scare you off from seeing this one, though —The Toy Maker isn’t the cream of the SNDN crop (that would be part 3), but it’s definitely the most surreal of the bunch, and your humble host recommends it very highly indeed.

Drumo launches Q amp;A service in Asia and Australia

CombineQuora and Foursquare and you will get Drumo, a local Question and Answer platform that connects a community of users to ask and answer questions about what is happening right now in their local area. Drumohaslaunched thebeta in private, in Asia and Australia and the platform will also utilize the various deals in location-based manner to everyones advantage. Itis set to first launch in Sydney and Singapore, followed by Tokyo, Melbourne and Hong Kong and other major Australian and Asian cities.

According to the companys website, there is a reward system that lets users earn points and virtual rewards on Drumo, build local reputation and unlock exclusive merchant offers at local businesses. On top of that, users can also earn points and badges by giving quality answers, reviewsand checking into places using Facebook or Foursquare. Drumo is also available as a mobile application on the iPhone and the Android version is coming soon.

Source: Drumo

Evercool Announces Cross Flow System Cooler

PRESS RELEASE



EVERCOOL Thermal Corp., Ltd., one of the famous and professional cooler and fan brands in Taiwan. To be the solver to deal with the computer heat problem, EVERCOOL not only pays attention on computer cooling performance, but also keeps adding classic and aesthetic into product design to make the coolers have attractive appearance. In the end of 2009, EVERCOOL launched one cooler for system named “Cross Flow System Cooler”, which has a classic appearance.







Cross Flow System cooler is compatible with 5.25 Driver Bay. Its design is like a turbine to inhale outside air into case, and increases the air convection for effective heat dispersion. In addition, adjustable speed is a convenient design for users, they can adjust the wind speed by themselves, and the maximum of airflow is 100CFM. Moreover, the easy installation makes users install this cooler quickly and easily.

Fit for 5.25” Drive Bay and easy to installTurbine lateral cross-flow fan design increases the air flow and takes the heat away efficientlyClassical appearance designSpeed controller can control the fan speed, and the maximum speed is 100 CFM

DMCA exemptions updated; iPad jailbreaking and phone unlocking illegal

Users of iOS products such as the iPhone and iPad have long enjoyed the privilege of legally Jailbreaking the devices. The jailbreaking process grants users root access to the device in question, enabling them to run applications unapproved by Apple, and to use various customizations such as themes and UI modifications.

In July of 2010, a Digital Millennium Copyright Act exception was approved, officially legalizing the procedure. Such exemptions are granted by the U.S. Librarian of Congress when it believes that users are ultimately harmed when forbidden to engage in non-infringing activities. In 2010, it clearly believed that this was the case, to the chagrin of Apple.

iPad, displaying "Cydia", jailbroken app/tweak repository (image by The iPad Guide)

But this year, under advisement from the U.S Copyright Office, renewed exemptions to the DMCA will prevent users from jailbreaking or rooting tablet devices. All tablets, including the Apple iPad, will be affected by the new exemptions.

These new alterations follow a complaint to the Copyright Office by the Business Software Alliance (BSA). This July, the BSA argued to the Copyright Office that jailbreaking leads to piracy.

“Jailbreaking enables the installation and execution of pirated -- i.e., unlicensed -- apps on a mobile device," the BSA wrote. "So there is a direct link between piracy and the circumvention of TPMs [technological protection measures], -- jailbreaking is the precondition for making pirated apps valuable."

Digital rights advocacy group EEF (The Electronic Frontier Foundation) argued against this reasoning in its own letter to the Copyright Office.

"There are many legitimate, non-infringing reasons why a user might choose to jailbreak or root a device. These reasons range from installing non-infringing applications that happen to be unapproved by the devices vendor, to customizing a devices appearance, to transforming a phone into a flashlight."

But in an odd and confusing twist, the new exemptions which prevent users from rooting tablets do not prevent them from rooting phones. So, jailbreaking the iPhone will not be illegal.

The reason that tablets are receiving the prohibition, and phones are not, arises from ambiguity over the term tablet. Tablets apparently constitute a broad and poorly defined class of devices with, according to the Copyright Office, "significant distinctions among them in terms of the way they operate, their intended purposes, and the nature of the applications they can accommodate."

Of additional relevance is the effects of new exemptions on unlocking. Phone owners will not legally be able to alter their phones or SIM cards purchased after January 26, 2013 in order to make them compatible with other networks.

Anybody in the U.S using nonofficial apps on their jailbroken iPads will have to be willing to kiss them good bye on Sunday of next week, when the new exemptions take effect.

Source: InfoWorld

Fenrir X'mas Edition

Fenrir - X'mas Edition

Titan’s Fenrir HSF has garnered numerous awards worldwide since itsintroduction in 2008. To celebrate this achievement and Christmas,Titan has launched the X’mas edition of the Fenrir (TTC-NK85TZ/CS-RB). Featuring a high density fin design and 4 8mm heatpipes with Heat PipeDirect Contact technology for rapid heat dissipation, the X’mas Fenrircomes bundled with a powerful 12cm fan with embedded PWM speedcontroller. With its universal mounting system, the Fenrir X’masEdition is fully compatible with all Intel LGA 775/LGA1156/LGA1366 andAMD K8/AM2/AM3 sockets. With a unique plating technology, Titan is ableto create an aesthetically pleasing “triple-color gradation” on theX’mas Fenrir. We believe the thermal performance of the X’mas Fenrirshould be in-line with its predecessors and its distinctive looks mayappeal to modders who have transparent side panels.

Features
4 nos. 8mm heatpipes with Heat Pipe Direct Contact feature for rapid heat dissipation120mm fan for superior silent performance at 17dBA Embedded PWM intelligent controller automatically adjusts fan speedHigh density fin design maximizes thermal performanceUniversal mounting allows full compatibility with Intel LGA 775/LGA1156/LGA1366 and AMD K8/AM2/AM3 socketsNews via [Titan]

EA launches beta of free-to-play Command amp; Conquer MMO strategy game

Electronic Arts has announced the open beta of its upcoming Command & Conquer Tiberium Alliances free-to-play massively multiplayer online (MMO) strategy game.

The game, developed by EAs Phenomic studio is the latest addition to the companys Play4Free portfolio, which includes other games like Battlefield Heroes, Battleforge, Need For Speed World, and Lord of Ultima.The game employs the popular Command & Conquer strategy franchise and takes advantage of quickly growing browser-based online gameplay. The game will also launch on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets and users can switch back and forth between their devices, creating a unique cross-platform experience.Players will be able to harvest resources, form alliances, and engage in epic battles, pretty much all the things that can be done in a standard Command & Conquer title.The beta can be accessed for free by anyone across the globe today and the final product will be free to play, though like most other free to play games some restrictions or in-game purchases may be applicable.

Elpida 0.10 micron DDR2 Mass Production

Elpida today announced that it will begin mass production of DDR2 SDRAM usingadvanced 0.10-micron process technology in August 2004. The first productsslated for manufacturing utilizing 0.10-micron process technology includehigh-performance, high-density DRAM products such as DDR2-533 and DDR2-667.

"Elpida strives to offer the industry stable production of high-performanceDRAM products," said Yukio Sakamoto, president of Elpida Memory. "Our ability tomass manufacture 0.10-micron DRAM enables us to meet increased demand foradvanced DDR2 SDRAM as the industry transitions from DDR to DDR2 architecture."

Elpida plans to increase production capacity of 0.10-micron based products tomore than 50% of their 300 mm wafer line capacity by January 2005.

Fewer Apple fans flock to stores as new iPad goes on sale

Queues for Apples third generation iPad were not as big as those for the iPad 2 last year, suggesting potentially weaker sales for the Cupertino, California-based company.

Apples store in Regent Street, London saw over 600 people line up for the iPad 2s launch, but that number has dwindled to roughly 400 people for todays launch of the so-called “new iPad.”While this does not necessarily account for interest in the device across the world, it will be a worrying figure for investors and for Apples new CEO, Tim Cook, who took over from Steve Jobs last year.However, a study by Dynamo PR, which interviewed those standing in the queue, found that 63 percent of those waiting to buy the latest iPad were PC owners, up from 44 percent last year and just 25 percent two years ago for the launch of the initial iPad.This is significant, as it means that more PC users are considering tablet computers as either a replacement for or a complementary system to their desktop or laptop computers. Apple said last week that it is planning a post-PC future, and while it is unlikely that PCs will got he way of the dodo, there are clearly more alternative devices being bought than ever.Other findings in the report showed that a whopping 88 percent of those in line were men, while the average age was 26, supporting the public perception of technology enthusiasts as being young males.Some people queued for unholy amounts of time. For example, one man managed to secure a prominent place at the front by waiting for an insane 141 hours. Say what we will about Apple fanbois, but thats dedication.“The surprising difference in this year’s iPad launch compared to other years is the actual number of people queuing,” said Paul Cockerton, co-founder of Dynamo PR. “It’s significantly less than previous years. Whether that means pre-orders have been more successful, or selling in other retail stores takes some of this burden only Apple would be able to answer.”Source: The Telegraph

Elecom Announces Playbrick Earphones

If you are a crazy fan for bricks (if there is any) or even LEGO, you might want to consider getting your a pair of Elecom's Playbrick earphones.

Coming in 6 fanciful colors, these cute earphones caught my eye and why you should get one too


Elecom's SundriesPlaybrick are in-ear earphones with exchangeable ear tips that comes in 3 different sizes. At a length of 1.2metres, the bright colors of the earpieces stand out among the crowd along with its cute design.

Prices and launch date yet to be announced on their official site.

Disney and Asus Announces Netpal For Kids

It is common to see gadgets in collaboration with other companies for unique product launches. In an announcement between Disney and Asus, a new netbook (again?) has been confirmed.

Known as Netpal, it is targeted towards kids and has features...well, targeted for kids.

ASUS's Disney-branded Netpal netbook for kids will come in your choice of "Princess Pink" or "Magic Blue" colors. To add on, each netbook features a Disney interface, along with a range of built-in parental controls, and some customizable themes based on Mickey Mouse, Toy Story, Wall-E, and other Disney properties.

Hardware-wise,you get your standard netbook configuration on a 8.9-inchscreen and storage will be either a 16GB SSD drive or a standard 160GB hard drive.

No release date has been confirmed yet.

Elpida Samples XDR Memory Produced at 90nm Technology

Elpida Memory, a maker of dynamic random access memory (XDR) from Japan and also one of a few supporters of Rambus-developed XDR memory, said Wednesday that it had begun sampling of 512Mb XDR memory chips produced using 90nm process technology. The company said the demand for XDR was great and that thinner production technology would allow higher yields.

"The XDR architecture offers specific advantages for digital consumer applications, including extraordinarily high bandwidth per pin. Digital consumer applications represent the fastest growing segment of the market for Elpida Memory, and now that we are producing these devices on our 90nm process, we expect to produce higher yield in response to the great demand," said Yoshitaka Kinoshita, executive officer for the digital consumer division of Elpida Memory.

Elpida’s 512Mb XDR DRAM devices are organized as 4M words x 16-bits x 8 banks and operate at 4.0GHz, providing bandwidth of 8GB/s per device. Even though similar devices were available already a year ago, 90nm production greatly improves abilities of Elpida to supply such chips in mass quantities.

XDR DRAM can operate at 3.20GHz to 6.40GHz clock-speeds, providing industry leading bandwidth per pin, which is a benefit for networking and consumer applications.

Numerous leading consumer electronics companies, such as Panasonic, Sony and Toshiba said they would adopt Rambus’ XDR memory for their devices, including Sony’s PlayStation 3 console and Panasonic’s digital TV-sets. Certain networking companies are also interested in XDR.

EA announces DLC for Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning

Electronic Arts (EA) has announced the first downloadable content (DLC) pack for its recently released RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

The additional game content, entitled Legend of Dead Kel, gives players access to a huge new continent called Gallows End, adding over 15 percent more landscape to the game, with tons of new quests and side quests to keep players busy. Theres also many new enemies, a new dungeon type called Dverga Fastings, and dozens of new items to kit out your characters.The add-on also opens up what EA is calling “the ultimate player housing.” Users dont just get a little hut to store their belongings, but rather a huge estate with several buildings and many servants who even have their own side quests.Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning launched earlier this month in Europe and North America to some rave reviews. With a story developed by author R.A. Salvatore and the games artwork influenced by Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn, developer 38 Studios has brought on some heavyweights to make this a successful and enjoyable game.Downloadable content has become a new way to expand a game without going all out with an expansion pack, borrowing from the regular updates users see in massively multiplayer online (MMO) games. Not only does this method save the company money on packaging a new title, it can give a constant stream of revenue.The Legend of Dead Kel DLC pack will be available on 20 March on Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, Origin and Steam.

D-Wave One released the first commercial quantum computer

...10.000.000$ USD. Yes, thats -ten million US dollars-. If you cannot afford one, which we suspect that you cannot, do not be disappointed; the 128-qubit processor of the D-Wave One can only handle specific tasks (such as optimization problems) and traditional CPUs will smite it in any common application. We also imagine that it is not a very efficient and/or power friendly machine - the D-Wave One requires liquid heliumfor cooling.

Source : D-Wave

EA Dante's Inferno PR campaign incurs wrath of gamers

Seems to me the current financial tsunami is undoubtedly taking aheavy toll on the gaming industry. Research group NPD Sales hadreported that video game equipment and software in the United States fell 16 percent in Augustto $908.7 million, the sixth consecutive monthly decline. In a bid toboost publicity and sales for their upcoming title, Dante's Inferno, EA has gone to great lengths to market the game.Hiring “Christian” protesters at a convention to protest Dante'sInferno, with some even holding signs that read, "EA = ElectronicAnti-Christ" and “Harass our booth babes” competition are just someexamples of EA’s marketing stunts. These have generated muchcontroversies even before Dante's Inferno’s release but hey, this hypemay just be what EA has been hoping for.

News via [ARSTECHNICA]