Fearless

There is a certain movie trailer which has been showing repeatedly on television in the past few days... Apparently, Jet Li's last film, Fearless (Official Website, Wikipedia, IMDB), is out!

The complete movie trailer can be seen below... there are some really sleek moves, including the use of the 三节棍 (Three Section Staff).



Fearless is about the life of 霍元甲 (Huo Yuanjia) and tells the story of him rising in the martial arts world.

"I stepped into the martial arts movie market when I was only 16. I think I have proved my ability in this field and it won't make sense for me to continue for another five or 10 years. Huo Yuanjia is a conclusion to my life as a martial arts star." – Jet Li

Read more about Jet Li's viewpoint on his retirement from martial arts films. I think it makes sense for him to switch genre. A fresh change in perspectives is always enlightening.

Note: I am by no means a fan of Jet Li. I have not seen the film myself and I don't know how good it is. However, I certainly hopes that it lives up to the quality of the trailer. If you want to find reviews, you can check out a website like Flixster.


Technorati: Fearless, Jet Li

Steve Jobs @ Disney

On Jan. 24, Walt Disney Co. (DIS ) agreed to pay $7.4 billion in stock to acquire Pixar Animation Studios (PIXR ), where Jobs is chairman, CEO, and 50.6% owner. As part of the deal, Jobs will become the largest shareholder at Disney and take a seat on the entertainment giant's board.

Recommended reading: Steve Jobs' Magic Kingdom [from BusinessWeek.com]

Web 2.0 Updates

1. List of companies profiled on TechCrunch.

2. Gary William Flake’s presentation (the.guy@Microsoft) - (Powerpoint, PDF) - How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Imminent Internet Singularity

3. Newswine.com invites from theTechGurus blog

4. E27 Technology Symposium @ Stanford University (New startups)

5. Javascript Tools for AJAX
- Updated documentation for prototype.js 1.4.0
- Dojo 0.2.2

Apple’s new accelerometer patent

Apple’s new accelerometer patent reveals a unique gaming device.

If Apple launches something like this in next 2 years, it will surely take the world by storm. So is Apple following Microsoft's move into the gaming domain (think XBox)?

Absolutely cool!

Technorati: Apple

Google’s beautiful China paradox

Recommended reading: Thomas Hazlett: Google’s beautiful China paradox (Financial Times)

Google may regret its embarrassing moment. But I suspect the reverse. Chinese autocrats will one day look back fondly on a world before global communications networks, when searching the internet was difficult and the masses knew their place.

Update: Google's official comment on Google Blog

This server speaks in pictures

Guys over at Google are definitely very interesting.

See what you get when you load up this page in your web browser:
http://photos1.blogger.com/

Flying Car in Google Earth

Definitely intriguing... maybe Harry Potter decided to pay us a visit?
For the possible answer... read more here.

Happy Chinese New Year!

As we usher in the Year of the Dog, it is also time to do some reflections...
I find the following phrases particularly meaningful.

一年之计在于春
一日之计在于晨
一家之计在于和
一身之计在于勤

roughly translated:
The most important harvest of the year is autumn
The most effective time of the day is the morning
The most important aspect of the family is togetherness
The most important aspect of oneself is to be hardworking.

And of course, to all Chinese readers...

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

新年快乐

万事如意

Linux - Winds of Change & Hope

According to the latest blog post from Lobby4Linux,
Lobby4Linux, in cooperation with myfirstlinux.com and featuring PclinuxOS; announce the first commercial advertising effort for the Linux Operating System.
Called “The Austin Project”...

The residents of Austin Texas will soon hear of Linux on their radio stations. For six days a week, two to three times a day and for 24 days, Linux will become a “known” product via a professional 30 second radio advertisement. According to hundreds of responses to a recent Lobby4Linux blog of helios, it is an effort well past its time.

iFido

I found this while surfing for a mobile phone plan. Will this technology become the wave of the future? Given the convenient nature of this internet service, I believe that when it becomes proliferated and when costs go down, it'll take over landed lines like a tsunami.

iFido

Security Watch: Will Windows Vista eliminate third-party security apps? - CNET reviews

Interesting article on Windows Vista. Take a look at it.

Security Watch: Will Windows Vista eliminate third-party security apps? - CNET reviews

Comet Dust & Celestia

Today I read that NASA capsule carrying comet dust is en route to Earth.
I have been wondering about this issue of "contamination" for a long time... even since I read Michael Chrichton's The Andromeda Strain. Some people have even suggested that SARS came from space.


Talking about space... let me bring your attention to Celestia or (SourceForge Project Page)
The free space simulation that lets you explore our universe in three dimensions... travel throughout the solar system, to any of over 100,000 stars, or even beyond the galaxy.

Amazing. This brings a whole new meaning to Star Trek's motto -- "To boldly go where go man has gone before."

The screenshots I have seen are also brilliant.

Experience a Mac

Have you ever wonder how it is like to experience an Apple computer running OS X?
Well... here is your chance!

FlyakiteOSX allows you to do so from the safety of your Internet browser. You can even right click, change themes, launch iTunes, etc. Its really cool!



Technorati: Apple, Mac

Thanks to Wei Kiat for this tip-off.

Design a Steve Jobs Movie Poster

There are some really cool and really funny movie posters from this competition to design a Steve Jobs movie poster.

Some of my favourites:







I like the last one for its simplicity.

Technorati: Apple

Apple & Microsoft

In an interview with Steve Jobs...

The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste, they have absolutely no taste, and what that means is - I don't mean that in a small way I mean that in a big way. In the sense that they they don't think of original ideas and they don't bring much culture into their product ehm and you say why is that important - well you know proportionally spaced fonts come from type setting and beautiful books, that's where one gets the idea - if it weren't for the Mac they would never have that in their products and ehm so I guess I am saddened, not by Microsoft's success - I have no problem with their success, they've earned their success for the most part. I have a problem with the fact that they just make really third rate products.

Today... Apple and Microsoft sign pact to deliver Office software for the Mac for 5 more years...

"It's the best of both worlds," he (Microsoft's Erickson) said. "We get to work with Microsoft's developers and have great partnerships with both the Mac and PC worlds."

What is this? Nazi-Soviet Pact? With OpenOffice and Linux being the victims? (Kidding...)


Technorati: Apple, Mac, Microsoft

Windows Live Messenger

I have got some Windows Live Messenger invites...
so if you want to beta-test Windows Live Messenger for Microsoft or try it for your own personal use, kindly contact HanWorks Research.

Notes: Windows Live Messenger is not compatible with the current version of Messenger Plus. Windows Live Messenger is still buggy in some aspects but stable in other aspects. Read their blog carefully. Some new features in Windows Live Messenger include expanding your contact list up to 600 contacts, renaming and searching of contacts, and dynamic grouping of contacts.

Technorati: WLM

Cool Apple Ad

Check out the newest cool Apple ad on the switch to Intel.

"The Intel chip: for years, its been trapped inside PCs, inside dull little boxes, dutifully performing dull little tasks, when it could have been doing so much more. Starting today, the Intel chip wlll be set free and get to live life inside a Mac. Imagine the possibilities."

So what about AMD? Trapped inside the PC as well?

Since Steve Jobs's keynote speech is over... you might want to know what happens behind the magic curtain -- the inside secret on how Steve Jobs prepares for his speeches.


Technorato: macworld

MacBook Pro

Well, well, well. It's finally out: MacBook Pro, Apple's first Intel-based laptop. It now features Front Row and iSight, all built in. Check it out here.

Photocasting

Today will be Macworld 2006 in San Francisco, and there is a rumor from a reliable source... that says Apple will come up with Photocasting! First podcasting... now photocasting... But I wonder how photocasting will be different from Flickr. Maybe just the downloading of someone's else images into an iPod?

Update: See Apple website for details


Technorati: macworld

The Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs

I just read The Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs. Very amussing, but remarkly true.

A summary and my own thoughts...

1. “Our projections are conservative.” - What about the opposite? Infinity?
2. “Gartner says our market will be $50 billion in 2010.” - Sure... every market will grow to millions and billions. You can even kid yourself by talking about the parent market of the "smaller market" you are in.
3. “Boeing is going to sign our purchase order next week.” - Maybe you can tell us after it has been signed? Surely it will be in the newspapers?
4. “Key employees are set to join us as soon as we get funded.” - You have a written contract from them?
5. “No one is doing what we're doing.” - Maybe not today, but I promise it won't be the same tomorrow. In the Internet age, few ideas are original - 99.99...9% of ideas are either some meshup of old ideas or a slight variation here and there.
6. “No one can do what we're doing.” - Really? So why can you do this?
7. “Hurry because several other venture capital firms are interested.” - If so, then why this particular VC? Surely you may have better deals somewhere else?
8. “Oracle is too big/dumb/slow to be a threat.” - More like you are too tiny to be a threat to Oracle.
9. “We have a proven management team.” - What is "proven"? Everyone's standard is different anyway.
10. “Patents make our product defensible.” - Maybe you have filed for a patent... but has it been accepted?
11. “All we have to do is get 1% of the market.” - Anyone can say this, including me.

Google Pack & Yahoo! Go

Google announced Google Pack at CES 2006 today.
Absolutely fantastic...

It even comes with Norton Antivirus 2005 Special Edition

• Protect your PC from viruses, worms and Trojan horses
• Includes 6-month subscription to protection updates

Hey... no need for some Windows Antispyware or Windows Defender. Everyone should just download Google Pack.

But this seems to be a marketing ploy by Symantec. What happens after 6 months? Symantec is hoping that people will be dependent on the product and continue the subscription. Smart move. Funny that Norton Antivirus is actually a licensed product among the traditionally-free products.


Yahoo has posted CES pictures on Flickr (Yahoo! is using Flickr to post their photos there. [Free publicity])

Yahoo has also launched Yahoo! Go - "a new suite of products and services for your PC, mobile phone and even your TV."

Basically its 3 seperate by closely related products - Yahoo! Go Desktop, Yahoo! Go TV and Yahoo! Go Mobile. As of now, Yahoo! Go TV is not available for download.


Technorati: CES

CES 2006: Bill Gate's Keynote Address

Its time for CES watch...
and here is the transcript of Bill Gates's pre-show keynote address at this year's CES 2006.

I think he has some interesting ideas worth contemplating over.

I thought I would start off and show a scenario that we think will be real by the end of the Digital Decade, so within the next four years or so, this will be something we think will actually be realistic.

The term "digital decade" was mentioned by Bill Gates in 2001 at his Comdex keynote.

I think I was really impressed by the phone demo.

And so I can take my phone here, and I just put it down on a table that's here in the airport lounge, and it recognizes it. It's got a little camera here, and a little Bluetooth, nothing very complicated with the magic of software behind it. And it says it wants me to authenticate that this is really me, my phone. So, as soon as I put my fingerprint there, I'm connected up, and I actually get a full-sized desktop. And so now, if I want to read mail, or browse, that's all there.

A full-sized desktop workspace projected on a table, authenticated with a phone and fingerprint, anywhere and anytime! Really cool. I am confident we will see this becoming mainstream (among business travellers) in 5 to 10 years' time.


Also, see Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer play a boxing game (Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frasier) on XBox 360. Of course, Bill Gates won. I find the commentry by Al Bernstein very amusing.

First of all, in this corner, playing the role of Mohammed Ali, he floats like an MSN butterfly and he stings like a bee, let's welcome back a true heavyweight, Bill Gates. (Applause.)

Now, in this corner, playing the role of Joe Frasier, he's the sultan of security, and he's the prince of productivity, the Motor City hit man, Steve Ballmer. (Applause.)

And I wonder how much they paid Al Bernstein to say:
"Ladies and gentlemen, watch these replays, they are so realistic that it's unreal."



On a more serious issue, URGE might be a direct competitor to Apple iTunes music download service.

And to-be-expected there was a demo on Windows Vsita (Flip 3D, Quick Search, Live taskbar thumbnails, etc). Its high time we better do something about KDE and GNOME interfaces.

Check out the CES 2006 Keynote page for more keynote addresses.
(Still waiting for Larry Page's keynote transcripts...)


Technorati: CES

The Market for Lemons

The Market for 'Lemons': Quality Uncertainty and the Market Mechanism

Its an economics paper written by Akerlof in 1970, and "is the single most important study in the literature on economics of information. It has the typical features of a truly seminal contribution – it addresses a simple but profound and universal idea, with numerous implications and widespread applications."

What is interesting is Akerlof's "Personal Interpretive Essay."

By June of 1967 the paper was ready and I sent it to The American Economic Review for publication. I was spending the academic year 1967-68 in India. Fairly shortly into my stay there, I received my first rejection letter from The American Economic Review. The editor explained that the Review did not publish papers on subjects of such triviality. In a case, perhaps, of life reproducing art, no referee reports were included.

Michael Farrell, an editor of The Review of Economic Studies, had visited Berkeley in 1966-67, and had urged me to submit “Lemons” to The Review, but he had also been quite explicit in giving no guarantees. I submitted “Lemons” there, which was again rejected on the grounds that the The Review did not publish papers on topics of such triviality.

The next rejection was more interesting. I sent “Lemons” to the Journal of Political Economy, which sent me two referee reports, carefully argued as to why I was incorrect. After all, eggs of different grades were sorted and sold (I do not believe that this is just my memory confusing it with my original perception of the egg-grader model), as were other agricultural commodities. If this paper was correct, then no goods could be traded (an exaggeration of the claims of the paper). Besides — and this was the killer — if this paper was correct, economics would be different.

He then "sent the paper off to the Quarterly Journal of Economics, where it was accepted."

Is this trivial or non-trivial?

The fact is, the paper won George Akerlof the Nobel Prize in Economics.

Google: Happy Birthday Louis Braille

At first I was quite puzzled when I saw this logo in place of the usual google logo in the search engine. Then I hovered my mouse over the logo and the alternate text says "Happy Birthday Louis Braille!"

Nice one, Google!


Technorati: google

2006 International CES

Title says it all?
Check out the website.
They even have their website in 7 languages!

Internet Security Check

Shields UP! Link: Click here (opens in new window)

This is a website that checks your computer's internet security. At the start of the check, it displays your "reverse DNS". It can check the visibility of the ports (ports 1-1056) on the computer (or other device that is connected to the Internet), providing information on the status of ports that are visible to anyone on the net.

The 2 computers that I tried this tool returned "TruStealth" status (henceforth referred to as A & B), i.e. there is no indication that the computers used to access the Internet were visible in any way. This includes not responding to Ping requests generated by the test site (which is "cool" as they say). According to the website, stealthed ports required more time to complete analysis as more packets were sent, to make sure packets were not dropped.

For testing's sake, I ran an FTP server on Computer A, and only then did the refreshed page show an open port on that computer.

However, the port scan is still incomplete, as another scan by Symantec Security Check (apparently using ActiveX controls) on Computer B returned different results. The Hacker Exposure Check here showed that the port "ICMP Ping" is OPEN, while Shields UP! said that no response was taken. Other ports such as 1723 PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol), 5000 UPnP (Universal Plug and Play), 5631 pcAnywhere, and a range of ports above 1000 were deemed closed by this alternate tool. These ports were not covered by Shields UP!, and hence it may not provide an accurate total overview of the security of your system.

Definitely worth a try.

KDE vs GNOME

Hopefully, this is not another post on the never-ending-debate on GNOME vs KDE. Recently, I saw an article linked from digg.com, that talks about why KDE is better than GNOME. Now... talking about GNOME vs KDE is like talking about Fedora vs Mandriva. (Both do have one distinct similarity -- they have funny names. I am sure the linux community can come up with better names.)

My stand -- The first linux desktop I used was GNOME, but I have used KDE before and continues to do so on my Mandrake Linux (or Mandriva). BUT I think GNOME is better and KDE is very memory intensive. Another "BUT"... KDE is nicer looking and more user friendly. Its all a matter of perspectives.


Technorati: linux, GNOME, KDE

Happy New Year!

To my readers... no matter which timezone you are in or what you think about the leap second... HanWorks Research wishes you all a

Happy New Year!