Movie 2010.12.31 - After.Life

Story of a mortician with a sixth sense (as in "I see dead people.") and a car accident victim who can't tell whether she's dead or alive.

So mortician Liam Neeson keeps Christina Ricci mostly naked and locked up in his workplace. He convinces her that she died during that car accident, and the reason they can talk is that he has a gift. He tells her that her soul's still around because she's not letting go. The suspense in this movie comes from trying to guess whether she's really alive or dead. There was a time when she checks her own pulse and feels none. One time a police officer visits the funeral parlor, gropes her naked body, but she didn't wake up. Another time her breathing produces some moisture on the mirror.

He drugs her into unconsciousness and buries her alive six feet under. He then insinuates to her grieving boyfriend that maybe she's still alive inside the coffin. The agitated boyfriend drives crazily towards the cemetery and crashes his car. Another victim for the self-righteous mortician.

Movie 2010.12.22 - Inception

One of the better films of the year.

Set in a world where extractors can enter your dreams and steal your innermost secrets without you knowing what just happened. Dom Cobb is one such extractor. In a botched operation, he gets to know his victim Saito, who offers him and his buddy Arthur a chance to redeem themselves by attempting a tricky operation called inception, whereby an idea is injected into a person's mind. For this to work, the inception has to be very subtle with the subject believing it was his own idea.

Now, the interesting part here is that Dom has done this before. And his last attempt caused his wife Mallorie to lose track of reality. To jump back to the "real world", she abandoned their two kids and killed herself by jumping off a building. For this mission, Dom and his accomplices have to transport Fischer to a dream within a dream within a dream within a dream (how many was that?), and convince him that dissolving his recently-deceased father's business empire is a good idea. Of course, this dream-within-a dream trick gives you more time to complete your mission, but this also allows the target to become suspicious.

As long as you get the basic concepts, the movie is not that confusing or complex. The special effects are mind-boggling though.

Nybble Issue No. 224

N Y B B L E   M O N T H L Y   N E W S L E T T E R
A Free Ezine about Anything Tech and Everything Else
2010.12.17 Issue No. 224


Thought I'd share a lifehack. So you're at home, and someone calls you asking you to sign some documents and send it back to them as PDF pronto. You've got the paper forms, but you don't have a scanner. What to do? Well, if you have a digital camera, you can use it as a "scanner". Put the pages on a dark surface for maximum contrast. Position the camera right on top of the page you want to "scan", not at an angle. Adjust the zoom so that the whole page is exactly covered. Make sure all four sides are straight and aligned. Transfer the pictures to the PC, then crop off the excess parts using a photo editor. Instead of simply emailing the forms as JPGs, download PDFCreator. From the photo editor, use PDFCreator as your virtual printer. Send off the resulting PDF files.

It's that time of the year again. Happy holidays to you all.

Have an answer, comment, suggestion, or violent reaction? Send them my way by clicking on Reply or join nybbletalk@yahoogroups.com to discuss a topic. If you think Nybble is good enough, do tell the GTD fans about it. Thanks.


_________TABLE OF CONTENTS_________
* Underground Food Delivery
* PS3 Supercomputer
* Strawberry-Picking Robot
* Solar-Powered Hornets
* Self-Healing Plastic
* Likeable Links
* Questionable Question
* Quotable Quote
* Trivial Trivia
* Laughable Laugh

_________UNDERGROUND FOOD DELIVERY_________
http://www.eweekeurope.co.uk/news/foodtubes-proposes-underground-physical-internet-14742

The Foodtubes group is proposing a system of underground tunnels which could deliver food and other goods in all weathers with massive energy savings.

The proposal uses lightweight metal capsules 2m long, which are roughly the same size as the cages that are carried by supermarket lorries. They are moved by an electromagnetic “kick” from linear induction motors built into the side of the underground polyethylene tubes at speeds of up to 60mph and, at junctions, are steered one way or another by other linear motors operating under computer control to their destination.
The energy savings over road distribution would be huge, since around 92 percent of the diesel burnt by a lorry is used to transport the vehicle itself, which spends much of its time driving around almost empty. As well as this, increasing amounts of the electricity used by the system could come from green sources.

The group, which includes an Oxford physics professor and logistics experts, wants £15 million to build a 5 mile test circuit, and believes the scheme could fund itself if used by large supermarkets and local councils, and could expand because it uses an open architecture.

_________PS3 SUPERCOMPUTER________
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/31784/US_Air_Force_Creates_Powerful_Supercomputer_Out_Of_PS3s.php

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has connected 1,760 PlayStation 3 systems together to create what the organization is calling the fastest interactive computer in the entire Defense Department. The Condor Cluster, as the group of systems is known, also includes 168 separate graphical processing units and 84 coordinating servers in an parallel array capable of performing 500 trillion floating point operations per second (500 TFLOPS).

Using PS3s for the supercomputer's core allowed AFRL to construct the system for a total cost of $2 million, which Barnell estimates is five to 10 percent of an equivalent system built entirely with off-the-shelf computer parts. It will also consume one-tenth the power of other comparably powered supercomputers. Defense engineers worked directly with Sony and a distributor to acquire the systems. The project used the older, large PS3 units rather than new Slim models which, crucially, do not allow for the installation of Linux as an "Other OS."

The computer, which is housed in Rome, New Work, will reportedly be used for quick processing of ultra-high-resolution satellite imagery, as well as research into artificial intelligence, radar enhancement and pattern recognition.

_________STRAWBERRY-PICKING ROBOT________
http://singularityhub.com/2010/12/04/japans-robot-picks-only-the-ripest-strawberries-video/

The Institute of Agricultural Machinery at Japan’s National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, along with SI Seiko, has developed a robot that can select and harvest strawberries based on their color. Ripened berries are detected using the robot’s stereoscopic cameras, and analyzed to measure how red they appear. When the fruit is ready to come off the vine, the robot quickly locates it in 3D space and cuts it free. From observation to collection, the harvesting process takes about 9 seconds per berry. Creators estimate that it will be able to cut down harvesting time by 40%. Prototypes are currently being tested in the field with marketable versions expected in the next few years. This artificial agriculturalist was recently recognized by the 4th Annual Robot Award of the Year in Japan.

A typical berry field one square kilometer in size takes about 500 hours to harvest. With its speedy evaluation, the strawberry picking robot could cut this down to around 300 hours. Not only that, but every berry would have a quantifiably similar level of ripeness based on color, and would be harvested with a minimum of bruising. Robots will also be able to harvest during the night (as shown in the videos below) allowing for the fruit to reach market closer to optimum freshness. These improvements in speed and quality will likely translate to millions of dollars saved each year for the industry as a whole.

_________SOLAR-POWERED HORNETS_________
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9254000/9254445.stm

Scientists working in Israel and the UK have recently discovered that the Oriental hornet has a unique ability to harvest solar energy.

The large wasp species has a special structure in its abdomen that traps the sun's rays, and a special pigment that harvests the energy they contain. The discovery helps explain why these hornets have a large yellow stripe across their body and why they become more active as the day gets hotter.

Using an atomic force microscope, scientists examined the fine structure of the hornet's cuticle, hard layers of which form the insect's outer body, or exoskeleton.
The part of the cuticle coloured brown is made from an array of grooves, with a height of just 160 nanometres. The structure of the yellow part of the hornet's body is made from a series of oval-shaped protrusions, each containing a pinhole-sized depression. Each protrusion is just 50nm tall and interlocks with another. These structures stop light being reflected off the hornet's body. Instead the light is trapped, and harvested for energy.

The pigment melanin gives the hornet its dominant brown colour. The pigment xanthopterin, in the head and abdomen in a form of stripes and bands, gives the Oriental hornet its bright yellow colour. Xanthopterin works as a light harvesting molecule transforming light into electrical energy. The hornets' ability to convert sunlight in this way could explain why they become more active during the middle of the day, when the light intensity is highest.

_________SELF-HEALING PLASTIC_________
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/241156,researchers-build-self-healing-plastic.aspx

US scientists have developed a self-healing material that uses a fibre optic "nervous system" to detect and address cracks. It was designed to prevent "catastrophic failure" and recovered up to 96 percent of an object's original strength in laboratory tests.

Here's how it works. Henry Sodano and his team at the Arizona State University embedded a fibre optic network into a "shape memory polymer", which is a plastic that returns to its original shape when heated. The network transmitted infrared light from a one-watt laser, acting as a nervous system because any cracks in the fibre would cause light to be lost from the network at that point. Light lost from the fibre network would be absorbed by the surrounding plastic, heating the material in the process. When heated, the plastic became 11 times more tough, which prevented the crack from spreading.  The polymer would then return to its original shape. (Technically, the material did not return to its original condition, because although the crack faces were brought together, no molecular bonds were re-formed.)

Should a suitable commercial partnership be struck, Sodano said the material could reach the market within two years. The work was funded by the US National Science Foundation.

_________LIKEABLE LINKS_________
Jetbytes
http://www.jetbytes.com/
On-the-fly file transfer

I Can't Find My Phone
http://www.icantfindmyphone.com/

Audiogalaxy
http://www.audiogalaxy.com/

_________QUESTIONABLE QUESTION_________
Why does ice cream taste better than cold cream?

_________QUOTABLE QUOTE_________
A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.
 ~ George Santayana

_________TRIVIAL TRIVIA_________
Do fingernails on one hand grow faster than another?
The fingernails grow faster on the hand you favor. If you are right-handed; your right fingernails will grow faster; likewise the fingernails on the left hand of a left-handed person. The middle fingernail grows faster than all other nails.
Source: Arcamax Trivia

_________LAUGHABLE LAUGH_________
During their ten year anniversary, a wife reminded her husband, "Do you remember when you proposed to me, I was so overwhelmed that I didn't talk for an hour?"
The hubby replied, "Yes, honey, that was the happiest hour of my life."


That's all for this week. Nybble is and will always be a work in progress. Please do send me your comments and suggestions on how to improve Nybble. Just hit the reply button to you know, reply.

Mobile Phone Hoarding

So the company is having its last mobile phone auction for the year (forever). Unlike before, we weren't told what models are available, how many are available, and how much they are. I guess because of this, it attracted more people to the auction.

The auction started off with new N97's. The auction was taking too long, they started selling the stuff for $130. Then we moved to the N97 minis. Then to ex-demo N97's for $65. Things were just getting exciting, when I had a call from a colleague who's having some problems connecting back to the core. Dang! After an hour of troubleshooting, I was back in the auction. Not sure what I missed during that hour, but there are still lots left to bid on. By 5pm, the auctioneers are in a hurry to vacate the premises, and started doing fixed-price sales on the ex-demo E-series phones and navigators. E75 for $50, 6710 Navigator for $40, 6210 Navigator for $30. Phones that are locked to certain carriers are being sold for less than $50. By 5:30pm the only phones left are some N-series and E-series phones that are going for $40 and less. Accessories like Bluetooth headsets, mobile speakers, handsfree carkits, mobile phone cases, etc. for $10 or less. Gold coin donation for phone chargers, earphones, USB cables, TV-out cables, etc.

When the smoke cleared, I got myself an N97, an N96, an N91, a 5310 XpressMusic with MD-8 mobile speakers, a 2700 locked to Virgin Mobile, and a 6710 Navigator.

Movie 2010.12.14 - Despicable Me

Simple story on how a supervillain becomes a father.

So this small-time crook Gru decides to go big-time and steal the moon. He goes to the bank for a loan and gets rejected because the loans officer doesn't have faith in him. To make his plan work, Gru tries to steal Vector's shrink ray and gets pummeled. So he goes to an orphanage and adopts three cute little girls. With their help in delivering robot cookies into the villain's lair, he gets his hands on the shrink ray. He flies to the moon, shrinks it, and brings it back to earth.

By the time he gets to the girl's ballet recital, it was over. Worse, he discovers that the girls have been kidnapped by Vector. He wants the moon. Gru hands over the mini moon in exchange for the girls, but Vector changed his mind. An epic battle ensures and Gru kicks Vector's butt to the moon, which has expanded back to its original size. From then on, the supervillain becomes a superdad to the girls and the alien minions the he keeps in his basement.

Audiobook 2010.12.06 - The Ancestor's Tale

Another audiobook I finished in the car while commuting to and from work these past few weeks. Richard Dawkins' popular science book talks about human evolution - traveling back through time to meet our common ancestors. We traverse through 40 rendezvous points (from zero to 39) until we meet up with the eubacteria, the ancestor of all living organisms.

I'm not particularly into evolution and biology and the origin of life, but this book is interesting enough for me to go through the whole thing.

Froyo Upgrade

Froyo has been out for a few weeks now. Given that my phone is not really tied to any carrier, there's no real need for me to wait for the official release. There's really not much that I need on 2.2, but it's just a matter of time, so might as well upgrade now.

First thing you need is to root your Android device, so you can make a backup. I installed z4root via the downloaded apk. Didn't work for me. The app ran, but it doesn't seem to do anything. Next one I tried is the One-Click-Root desktop software. Too lazy to connect the SGS to the laptop, so I simply renamed the root.zip file to update.zip, and installed it via 2e recovery. (To go into recovery mode, switch off your device, then do the 3-finger salute: VolUp-Home-Power.) That is how I got root. Next, I installed busybox from the Market and adb on the PC. Turned on USB debug, then connected the SGS to the PC. Tried doing a backup of the /efs partition, but adb kept complaining that filesystem is RO, even though I'm already root. Didn't bother doing a backup anymore.

Next step is to install the Clockwork Mod Recovery (again as update.zip) via 2e recovery. Select "apply sdcard:update.zip". Once installed, power off the phone, then boot into Clockwork Mod via 2e recovery. Select "install zip from sdcard", then flash the k9_cwm kernel, then flash the JPO ROM. After the update is completed, you'll be sent back to Clockworkmod recovery. Restart the phone, and flash any add-on packages that you want installed. In my case, I also cleared all the caches, wiped all data, and did a factory reset. Worked fine for me.

Editing 550D Videos

The bad thing with the Canon 550D is that the videos generated are humongous. At 1280 x 720 50fps, we're doing almost 6MB/s. The generated MOV files are just too unwieldly to handle.

So I've been requested to make another birthday video. To get the video segments on Windows Movie Maker, the MOVs have to be converted into either mpg, wmv or avi. First software of choice is Freemake. The coverted AVIs are pretty laggy on WMM, and the converted MPGs have no video, even though then work fine on VLC. So I turned to online converter Zamzar. This time the generated MPGs work fine on WMM. Only downside is that Zamzar has a 100MB file limit.

Workaround is to get Freemake to convert huge MOV to smaller AVI, then get Zamzar to encode it to MPG. Still getting to video post-conversion - total waste of time and bandwidth. A closer look shows that Zamzar MPGs uses mp1, while Freemake uses mp2. This tells us that WMM doesn't like mp2 MPGs. Good thing the latest version of Freemake can do custom mp1 conversion. We don't even has to mess around with multi-format Zamzar conversions. Just use Freemake, as long as you're using 25fps MPEG1 for the video and 48kHz and 320kbps for the audio.

Another hiccup. After importing all the videos and still photos and putting in the slides and transitions, WMM refuses to save the final video. Says that the source files are missing. What do you mean the source files are missing?! As a workaround, I had to do the edits on WMM, then save the segments one by one. The resulting video files are out of sync, laggy, blurry, and full of green artifacts. Again, Freemake to the rescue. I still used WMM to generate the photo and text slideshows, but I used Freemake to trim the videos, and merge all the files into one.

Movie 2010.11.21 - The Social Network

Seeing that this is directed by David Fincher, I had high hopes. And I wasn't disappointed. The storyline may or may not be true, but I've read enough articles to guess that most of it probably is. Very good acting all around. I was pleasantly surprised that JT can actually act. Or maybe he's just like that in real life. Too bad the Winkelvoss brothers and Narenda didn't take decisive action and sued Zuckerberg to kingdom come for stealing their idea. That would've rid us all of this timewaster called Facebook. And instead, we'll have Harvard Connection (if all of us are bright enough to get admitted there). Um, where was I again?

The last scene had Zuckerberg looking up his old girlfriend on Facebook and adding her as a friend. He then proceeds to refresh the page again and again, waiting for her acceptance. A bittersweet ending, but we all know that's not real because Zuckerberg has a backdoor to everyone's account anyway.

Book 2010.11.20 - The Lost Symbol

The Lost Symbol is a really huge disappointment. Makes me wonder how someone who wrote The Da Vinci Code can write The Lost Symbol. Well, if you've read Angels & Demons and The Deception Point, you'll have some idea. Dan Brown's writing style remains pretty much the same after all these years. After three books, nothing new is left for the latest one.

A good movie is where if you miss 5 minutes of the show, then you've lost most of the plot. A good book is where if you skip 5 pages, then you won't understand what's happening next. With The Lost Symbol, I've been speed-reading and skipping paragraphs and pages, and I still don't enjoy what I'm reading. Reads more like a tourist information on DC landmarks. Story is about a prodigal son who blackmails Masonic dad to reveal the Order's secrets to him, or else he will release a video he took of prominent politicians participating in a Masonic ritual. It's up to Robert Langdon to stop the bad guy from releasing the video. One word: EMP.

So there. Now that you know the story, you won't have to read the book.

Book 2010.11.11 - Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

Strange that the book wasn't entitled Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell. Anyway, I first took notice of this book when it came out in 2004. It was the black book cover that got me, and the fact that it's about magic. I tried to read the book then, but it was so thick, and I just didn't have enough time to read all 782 pages.

Fast forward to 2010. I'm still too busy to read the book, but now I've got the book in mp3 format. On my daily commute to work and back, I would listen to the audiobook on the Nokia E75 though the Bluetooth loudspeaker. At night, before going to bed, I would listen to a few pages on the SGS. Took me a few months, but I finally finished all 213 mp3 files.

The story is set in 19th-century England where magic has slowly dwindled out of fashion, and Mr. Norrell and Jonathan Strange brought it back. The joy of reading this book is not in the plot, but in how the story was told. It's a rambling tale of selfishness, friendship, jealousy, war, forgiveness, and love.

I hope there's a sequel. It's not right for Jonathan Strange to go mad and be isolated in eternal darkness, when all he wanted to do is bring down the gentleman with the thistle-down hair, and rescue Arabella. I heard there's a movie coming out. I hope it does justice to the book.

Movie 2010.10.31 - Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Michael Douglas' comeback movie. After eight years in the slammer, Gordon Grecko is released from jail. First things first. He fools investment whiz Jake Moore (Shia Lebouf) into fooling his daughter Winnie (Carrie Mulligan) into signing away the $100M he put in a trust fund for her back to him. He rebuilds his empire and brings down the guy who put him in jail. Now that he's got his mojo back, he regains his conscience and tries to make it up to Winnie and Jake and his future grandson. With lots of money, all is forgiven.

As usual, Michael Douglas steals the show, and Shia Lebouf is left looking like a rookie. Nice cameo from Charlie Sheen.

Home Buyer & Property Investor Show

Been a while since we came down to the city. With free tickets to the Home Buyer & Property Investor Show, we took the opportunity to visit Darling Harbour.

The expo is pretty much the same as last year. Most of the booths are hawking investment properties never-heard-of suburbs. Some even offer rental guarantees.Heck, for the price of one apartment in Sydney, you can buy five rental properties in the US with a return of 15% or more.

The deals are so good, I'm surprised I haven't signed any contracts yet.

Just next door is the Trading and Investing Expo. Even less interesting for someone who's too busy to trade shares and play with foreign currencies anymore.

Ten-Year Anniversary

My manager sauntered down the corridor, went in my cubicle, and casually handed me a plaque celebrating my 10 years of service with the company. I also get a MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art) perpetual calendar designed by Gideon Dagan and made in China. It's a perpetual calendar because you have to mark the day and month yourself, every single day of the year. That'll remind me how time flies.

Movie 2010.10.16 - The Informant!

I'm not sure what to make of this movie. At first glance, it's quirky, it's smart, it's funny, it's offbeat. Feels like a long-running joke, and you're just waiting for the punchline. Then it became too long. The storyline started getting off-tangent. When the punchline came, it wasn't what you were expecting and it wasn't funny.

This is supposedly a true story of how top executive Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) became an informant of the FBI, who was investigating ADM (Archer Daniels Midland) for price-fixing with Japanese and Korean lysine producers. Turns out that Mark was trying to get rid of the other executives at ADM, so he can become president of the company. Arrests were made using the secret video recordings Mark made during meetings. The ADM executives are not gonna take this lying down. Mark was found to have embezzled around $11 million in company funds through shell companies. For this, he lost his whistleblower immunity, and went to jail. During the trial, we find out that he might have bipolar disorder and is a compulsive liar. Serves him right.

Nybble Issue No. 223

N Y B B L E   M O N T H L Y   N E W S L E T T E R
A Free Ezine about Anything Tech and Everything Else
2010.10.14 Issue No. 223

My personal information management system has always been a mess. I have to-do lists (text files) on the laptop when I'm at work, and on my phone when I'm mobile. And they're not synched with each other. I also have to-do lists on my dedicated PIM software, online at RememberTheMilk, and lately on Google Tasks. Again, there's no easy way to synch them all up. I use text files because they're easy to edit. I use the PIM software because I can everything see in one place. I like Google Tasks because it integrates with Google Calendar and GMail, but it doesn't support recurring tasks. That's what I use RememberTheMilk for. I've also got RTM integrated with GMail. The only downside is that you can only access the tasks when you're online. And that's why I'm now using TiddlyWiki, specifically the mGSD variant, formerly known as MonkeyGTD. It's not an app. It's not an online service. It's just one HTML file that you download to your PC, and edit/save via your browser. Neat, huh?

Have an answer, comment, suggestion, or violent reaction? Send them my way by clicking on Reply or join nybbletalk@yahoogroups.com to discuss a topic. If you think Nybble is good enough, do tell the GTD fans about it. Thanks.

_________TABLE OF CONTENTS_________
* Russian Military Uses Inflatable Weapons
* Ultra-Sensitive Microphone
* Hair-Washing Robot
* Computer Beats Human at Japanese Chess
* Paper Li-Ion Batteries
* Oil-Absorbing Robots
* Likeable Links
* Questionable Question
* Quotable Quote
* Trivial Trivia
* Laughable Laugh

_________RUSSIAN MILITARY USES INFLATABLE WEAPONS_________
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11511886

Defense budget a little tight this year? Follow what the Russians are doing - use inflatable weapons. They look just like real ones: they are easy to transport and quick to deploy. From tanks to S-300 rocket launcher to MiG fighter jets to entire radar stations - you name it, the Russians have it. The decoys are a hundred times cheaper than the real thing, which means Moscow will save a lot of money by blowing up its own weapons.

These state-of-the-art stand-ins are among the most advanced military decoys in the world. What they lack in firepower, they make up for in flexibility: they are light and can be deployed quickly to deceive the enemy. They are also very realistic. They are made of a special material that tricks enemy radar and thermal imaging into thinking they are real weapons. The inflatables are stitched together at a former hot-air balloon factory.

_________ULTRA-SENSITIVE MICROPHONE________
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/10/super-microphone-picks-out-single-voice-in-a-crowded-stadium/

Norwegian physicists Morgan Kjølerbakken and Vibeke Jahr have developed a super-sensitive eavesdropping device called the Audioscope. They explain how it works. "If we correct the audio arriving at three microphones then we have a signal that is three times as strong. Doing the same thing with 300 microphones can make a single conversation audible even in a stadium full of sports fans."

Audio from all microphones is stored in separate channels, so you can even go back and listen in on any sounds later. Want to hear the whispered insult that caused one player to lose it and attack the other? You got it. Catching taunts from foul-mouthed players is one application, but Audioscope could be used for more sinister purposes, too. Deployed at public gatherings, the super-mics could be zoomed in to eavesdrop on conversations between suspicious persons, or pretty much anyone the cops want to listen in on.

_________HAIR-WASHING ROBOT________
http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/362074/panasonic_unleashes_16-finger_hair_washing_robot/

Panasonic has developed a hair-washing robot that uses 16 electronically controlled fingers to give a perfect wash and rinse. The robot appears to be about the size of a washing machine. Users sit in a reclining chair and lean back to place their head in the machine's open top. Two robot arms guide the 16 fingers, which have the same dexterity as human fingers, the company claimed. Sensors scan the person's head to measure its shape and assure that just the right amount of pressure is applied when washing and rinsing. The machine also remembers each person's head shape and preferred massage course so a repeat wash and rinse is as good as the first.

The robot was developed to assist caregivers in hospitals and health-care facilities and is the product of a Panasonic program that is developing robotic technology for health care and welfare services. The prototype was unveiled in Tokyo at the International Home Care & Rehabilitation Exhibition, which ran from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1.

Panasonic hasn't provided a launch date for the robot. An obstacle to their commercialization likes in the lack of safety standards and liability laws concerning robots that interact with humans.

Clarification is needed on such issues before the robots could become products, but guidelines could be published in Japan as early as 2012.

_________COMPUTER BEATS HUMAN AT JAPANESE CHESS_________
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2010/10/computer-makes-the-winning-mov.html

A computer has beaten a prefessional human player at shogi, otherwise known as Japanese chess, for the first time. Although IBM's Deep Blue beat Gary Kasparov way back in 1997, this is a bit different. Western is a relatively simple game, with only about 10123 possible games existing that can be played out, while shogi is a bit more complex - offering about 10224 possible games.

The Mainichi Daily News reports that top women's shogi player Ichiyo Shimizu took part in a match staged at the University of Tokyo, playing against a computer called Akara 2010. Akara is apparently a Buddhist term meaning 10224, and the system beat Shimizu in six hours, over the course of 86 moves.

In 2005, the Japan Shogi Association introduced a ban on professional members playing computers without permission, and Shimizu's defeat was the first since a simpler computer system was beaten by a (male) champion, Akira Watanabe, in 2007. NHK reports that the JSA will conduct an in-depth analysis of the match before it decides whether to allow the software to challenge a higher-ranking male professional player.

_________PAPER LI-ION BATTERIES_________
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/88/i38/8838notw7.html

Researchers from Stanford University managed to fabricate ultrathin rechargeable lithium-ion batteries onto a single sheet of paper, resulting in highly flexible and lightweight portable power sources. This achievement may provide an integrated power solution for the developing field of paper-based electronics and lead to applications in "smart" packaging and radio-frequency sensing.
This paper battery is made by coating a solid support with a thin film of carbon nanotubes and depositing a film of a metal-containing lithium compound on top of the nanotubes. These double-layer films are then deposited on both sides of the paper. In that design, the lithium layers function as battery electrodes and the nanotube films serve as current collectors. The paper is the electrode separator and also serves as a mechanical support.

The new batteries, which are just 300 µm thick, are thinner and more flexible, and they exhibit higher energy density and other electrical advantages, compared with other types of thin batteries. Battery performance did not degrade over the course of a 300-cycle recharging test.

_________LIKEABLE LINKS_________
EndlessSubtittles
http://www.endlesssubtitles.com/
Edit and sync subtitles the easy way

Khan Academy on a Stick
http://mujica.org/khan/

InstaPaper
http://www.instapaper.com/
Save interesting web pages for reading later

Dramastyle
http://www.dramastyle.com
Watch Korean, Japanese, Hong Kong drama and movies

_________QUESTIONABLE QUESTION_________
heard that 3 out of 4 people make up 75 percent of the world's population. What about the other 1 out of 4?

_________QUOTABLE QUOTE_________
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
~ Buddha

_________TRIVIAL TRIVIA_________
How many words are in Green Eggs and Ham?
Dr. Seuss wrote "Green Eggs and Ham" after his editor dared him to write a book using fewer than 50 different words.
Source: Arcamax Trivia

_________LAUGHABLE LAUGH_________
What did the Buddhist monk say to the hot dog vendor?
"Make me one with everything."
<but wait, there's more>
The vendor makes the hot dog, and the monk gives him a twenty, which he pockets. The monk, after waiting for a moment, asks for his change. The vendor looks at him and says, "Change must come from within."

That's all for this week. Nybble is and will always be a work in progress. Please do send me your comments and suggestions on how to improve Nybble. Just hit the reply button to you know, reply.

Cheap PS2 Hardware

To think that I spent weeks looking for an affordable EyeToy USB camera on eBay. If you know how, you could've gotten one *including* the EyeToy Play 2 disc for only $7.

I went to EBGames and bought Play 2 for $7. The guy asked me if I have the camera. Thinking this is another cross-sell, and I do already have an EyeToy, I said yes. Went back home only to find out that I already have Play 2. What I'm after is the original Play. Went back to EBGames the next day to return it. A different guy asked me if I have the camera for the game. Again, I said yes, I have my own camera. Oh, the games come with the camera, the guy mentioned. Hmm, is that so? Anyway, I found Play for $4, and asked for the camera. This time, the camera is not included. Bummer.

So I went back to the bargain bin, and looked around for Buzz! titles. If you read the item codes carefully, it actually tells you if hardware is included. For my efforts, I got a Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz game disc plus FOUR Buzz controllers for only $18. Not too shabby.

The Hillsong Experience

First time to attend a Hillsong Church service. Church is a bit misleading because the place is more like a convention centre. We were there for a dedication service for a friend's twins. We asked around and were told that we must be mistaken because there's no dedication scheduled for today. Apparently, there was some kind of miscommunication. We later located the harassed mom, who's trying to make things happen. Good thing the Hillsong guys agreed to add in a short dedication to their regular service.

We walked in the auditorium and was amazed by its size and the number of people attending the service. What's even more surprising is the availability of a parents' room complete with changing table, microwave oven, curtained booths for breastfeeding, and a flatscreen TV showing a live feed of the service. We stayed in the parents' room the whole time as baby needs a feed, then sleep. Also, I don't think he can handle the loud volume inside the auditorium.

Movie 2010.10.09 - Flashbacks of a Fool

Some people might like this movie, but not me. It's long and tedious and simple. In this movie, the fool is a washed-out movie star played by Daniel Craig. After being dumped by his agent, he takes a swim in the sea and has this super-long flashback.

When he was a teenager, he was seduced by his sexy neighbor - a mum with a little daughter. While they were in bed, the little girl was playing with a live mine on the beach, and got blown up. Joe blames himself for her death and skips town. Now he comes back, three days late for his best friend's funeral. What's interesting is that the widow used to be his crush. He was supposed to have his first date with her, but he was late, as he was in bed with the yummy mummy and he showed up full of love bites.

Back in his mansion, he writes a check to the widow, and starts to rebuild his career anew.

Movie 2010.10.07 - Everybody's Fine

About time Robert de Niro stopped doing comedy roles and do what he does best - drama. In this movie, he plays a retired widower who decides to visit each of his four kids, when they couldn't make it for a weekend reunion.

Against the doctor's advice (due to his health problems), he took the train to New York to his artist/painter son's apartment. As David is not around, he moves on to ad executive Amy and his grandson Jack. Things looks fine on the surface, but Frank senses an undercurrent of uneasiness. Amy seems very busy, so he leaves the next day to visit Robert, who's a percussionist and conductor wannabe. Robert also doesn't have much time for his Dad 'coz he's rehearsing with the orchestra, who's leaving town tomorrow. So Frank goes to L.A. to vist his younger daughter Rosie.

Thing are looking up this time. Rosie, who is a dancer at the casinos, fetches Frank in a limousine, and they go back to her expensive apartment. Instead of going out to that expensive dinner, the stayed in and took care of a neighbor's baby. The next day, Frank takes a flight home. Having missed his medication, Frank suffers a heart attack. He wakes up in a hospital with three kids around him. He knows all of them are keeping things from him, but given his present condition, he didn't take it too hard. Then he finds out that David died of a drug overdose in Mexico, and that's when he breaks down.

Movie ends with the whole family enjoying a Christmas feast at Frank's place.

Movie 2010.10.02 - The Last Airbender

Special effects not so bad. Movie plot boring. Too much monologue/dialogue. It's by M. Night Shyamalan - what do you expect?

There are four nations - Air, Earth, Water, Fire, who live in harmony with the Avatar maintaining the peace. The Avatar is the only one capable of bending all four elements. A hundred years ago, he disappeared. Now he's back.

The Fire Nation decides to attack the Water Nation. Lucky for the latter, the Avatar is around. He conjures up these gigantic swells, so the Fire Nation ships flee. That should've been the end of the story, but the producers want a sequel, so the Fire Lord asks his daughter to hunt down the Avatar in the next movie.

Reverse Cycle Portable Air Condition on Mobile eBay

With summer coming fast, I'm onto eBay to look for a portable air conditioner. A no-frills portable airconditioner will set you back at least $150. If you opt for the reverse-cycle one, that's usually around $250 or more.

So I find a portable a/c for sale. A closer look at the description says it's a Dimplex DAC-12004RC, which tells me it's actually reverse-cycle. No wonder there's relatively little interest from the bidding public. The item location being in Horseley also helps.

minutes to go before the auction ends, we're still in Westfield. I took out my E75 and went to the mobile eBay site. No HSDPA, only 3G. Started putting in higher and higher bids until I got the winning bid. To prevent a last-minute upset, I upped my max bid some more. Must've put in the wrong number because I ended up bidding $13,500. With only a few seconds to go, it's panic time! It's a good thing 3G is quite slow, so I was able to stop the transaction. Ended up winning the RC portable aircon at $113. Add in a $5 Paypal voucher for not using my 99c free listings last weekend, and I'm a happy camper.

Movie 2010.09.10 - The Men Who Stare at Goats

The trailer makes the movie look funnier and more interesting that it really is. Unless you're a die-hard Ewan McGregor or George Clooney (or Kevin Spacey) fan, you may want to skip this movie.

Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) goes to the Middle East, hoping to jumpstart his flagging career as a journalist, after his wife left him for his one-armed editor. There, he meets Lynn Cassady (George Clooney), who used to be a prominent member of the disbanded New Age Army, a group of looneys doing research on psychic warfare. Bob becomes a believer and publishes a story on the group, but nobody believed him.

Movie 2010.09.08 - Date Night

Trailer looks good. Movie is not. Instead of comedy/action, they should've stuck with comedy/drama.

I quite liked the first part of the movie, where Claire (Tina Fey) and Phil Foster (Steve Carell) were going through the routine of their lives, and wondering how they'll cope with the rest of it. After taking the restaurant reservation of another party, they were mistaken for someone else, and were hunted down by some bad cops.

The sudden switch to action genre is a bit awkward. The only good part is the car chase scenes where the taxi and the Audi were stuck together. There's really not much action. Basically, just running around town avoiding the cops and the goons and getting help from wherever possible. In the end, we have the corrupt DA Frank Crenshaw and the bad cops on one side, and mob boss Joe Miletto and his goons on the other side in a Mexican standoff. Claire got sick and tired of everything and demands everyone to put down their guns after she counts to three. After three, the good cops arrive and arrests all the bad guys.

Movie 2010.09.07 - Book of Eli

Christian propaganda movie disguised as an action movie starring Denzel Washington as the believer (Eli) apostle and Gary Oldman as the opportunistic Carnegie.

In a post-apocalyptic world, Eli heads west to share the last remaining King James Bible. On the other hand, Carnegie wants the book for himself to brainwash the townsfolk using the power of the Word. After giving Eli lots of hard time, he gets his hands on the Bible, but turns out it's in Braille. Bummer. Eli treks all the way to Alcatraz and dictates the Book of Eli verbatim to the curator. The end.

Oh, and the pretty young thing Solara takes up Eli's sword, and heads back home. I'd like to see how she survives in the wild for five minutes.

Movie 2010.08.31 - Death at a Funeral

This is the US remake. If you've never watched Death at a Funeral before, I strongly suggest you get the UK version, and forget about this one.

Makes me wonder why they bothered making a remake if they're going to make EVERYTHING the same as the original. Same storyline, same characters, same locations. Heck, even the vertically-challenged gay lover is the same guy. The only difference is that you have a whole lot of African-American actors and Americanized jokes. No need for me to repeat the movie review. Just look at my post on the original movie.

Nybble Issue No. 222

N Y B B L E   M O N T H L Y   N E W S L E T T E R

A Free Ezine about Anything Tech and Everything Else

2010.08.31 Issue No. 222

Started geotagging all my old pictures. Since my cameras don't come with a GPS chip, I'm tagging my photos manually using Picasa. When you click on the Geotag photo, Picasa will tell you to install Google Earth first. Alternatively, you can click on the Places button on top and just use the built-in Google Maps. So I start tagging my photos. Once in a while, I'll notice a few pictures that already have geotags. Turns out that these are photos taken from my E75, which has internal GPS, and I guess geotagging is enabled by default. Cool.

Recently, security experts are warning people that these geotagged photos may pose a security risk. Depending on what pictures you have been taking and where and how often, it's easy to find out a lot about you. For example, I look at bunch of your pictures online. It's easy to figure out which ones are taken at home. Checking the geotags, I now have a rough idea where you live. A careful analysis of the pictures tells me what nice stuff you have at home. And if start seeing newly uploaded pictures of you in a foreign county, that tells me it's time to pay your house a visit with my removalist friends.

Have an answer, comment, suggestion, or violent reaction? Send them my way by clicking on Reply or join nybbletalk@yahoogroups.com to discuss a topic. If you think Nybble is good enough, do tell the geotaggers about it. Thanks.

_________TABLE OF CONTENTS_________
* No-Pain Vaccine Patch
* Light-Controlled Membrane
* The Next Blu-ray
* Fly Eyes as Solar Cell Template
* Popeye Makes Kids Eat Veggies
* Oil-Absorbing Robots
* Likeable Links
* Questionable Question
* Quotable Quote
* Trivial Trivia
* Laughable Laugh

_________NO-PAIN VACCINE PATCH_________

http://www.medicaldaily.com/news/20100718/325/microneedles-may-make-getting-flu-shots-easier.htm

Researchers at Georgia Tech and Emory University have been testing vaccine patches with microneedles. Tiny little needles so small you don't even feel them. Attached to a patch like a Band-Aid, the little needles barely penetrate the skin before they dissolve and release their vaccine.

Some medications are already delivered by patches, such as nicotine patches for people trying to quit smoking. That's simply absorbed through the skin. But attempts to develop patches with the flu vaccine absorbed through the skin have not been successful so far. There's where the microneedle patch comes in. The business side of the patch feels like fine sandpaper. In tests, people rated the discomfort at one-tenth to one-twentieth that of getting a standard injection - virtually painless. The little needles are 650 microns (three-hundredths of an inch) in length, and dissolve after use. So two problems are solved right away — fear of needles, and disposal of leftover hypodermic needles.

The researchers are now seeking funds to begin tests in people and, if all goes well, the patch could be in use in five years.

_________LIGHT-CONTROLLED MEMBRANE________

http://www.medicaldaily.com/news/20100801/784/purple-light-means-go-ultraviolet-light-means-stop.htm

Eric Glowacki, a graduate student at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics, and Kenneth Marshall, his advisor, invented a new membrane that blocks gas from flowing through it when one color of light is shined on its surface, and permits gas to flow through when another color of light is used.

The membrane is a piece of hard plastic riddled with tiny holes that are filled with liquid crystals and a dye. When purple light illuminates the surface of the membrane, the dye molecules straighten out and the liquid crystals fall into line, which allows gas to easily flow through the holes. But when ultraviolet light illuminates the surface, the dye molecules bend into a banana shape and the liquid crystals scatter into random orientations, clogging the tunnel and blocking gas from penetrating.

Controlling a membrane's permeability with light is preferable to controlling it with heat or electricity – two readily used alternative methods – for several reasons, Glowacki said. For starters, light can operate remotely. Instead of attaching electrical lines to the membrane, a lamp or a laser can be directed at the membrane from a distance. Another advantage is that the color of the light illuminating the membrane can be changed precisely and almost instantaneously. Also, light does not have the potential to ignite a gas, which could be a crucial benefit when working with hydrocarbons or other flammable gases. Lastly, the amount of light energy needed to switch the membrane on and off is miniscule.

The membrane could be useful in controlled drug delivery and industrial processing tasks that require the ability to turn the flow of gas on and off as well as in research applications.

_________THE NEXT BLU-RAY________

http://www.medicaldaily.com/news/20100801/784/purple-light-means-go-ultraviolet-light-means-stop.htm

Japanese researchers from Sony Corporation and Tohoku University announced the development of a next-generation “blue-violet ultrafast pulsed semiconductor laser,” aimed at practical technology like disk storage.

The new all-semiconductor 405nm laser source is capable of generating optical pulses in the ultrafast duration of 3 picoseconds, with ultrahigh output peak power of 100 watts and repetition frequency of 1 gigahertz. Advanced control of the newly-developed and proprietarily-constructed GaN-based mode-locked semiconductor laser and semiconductor optical amplifier have enabled peak output power in excess of 100 watts to be achieved, which is more than a hundred times the world’s highest output value for conventional blue-violet pulse semiconductor lasers.

In particular, Sony indicated they are aiming to use the laser in next-generation disk storage devices, having already achieved successful initial testing. The new laser is expected to allow for disks to hold 20 times the capacity of the Blu-ray.

No indication was given on when the new technology might reach consumers.

_________FLY EYES AS SOLAR CELL TEMPLATE_________

http://news.discovery.com/tech/fly-eyes-used-for-solar-cells.html

A team of Penn State researchers came up with an idea to use a biomimetic mold constructed from fly eyes that could be perfect for manufacturing efficient solar cells.

First they picked corneas from blowflies because this common type of fly has ideal eyes for solar cell applications. Blowflies have compound eyes that are roughly hemispherical; but within that half sphere, the surface is covered by macroscale hexagonal eyes with nanoscale features. Then the researchers took corneas, fixed them on a glass substrate, added a polymer to protect the shape and then coated nine-eye arrays in nickel within a vacuum chamber. The result was a master template that retained those useful nanoscale features. Ultimately that template can be used to replicate the pattern exactly. Next, the plan is to make a larger template from 30 blowfly corneas.

The team is currently researching butterfly wings to figure out how it might be possible to create colored surfaces without using pigments.

_________POPEYE MAKES KIDS EAT VEGGIES_________

http://www.medicaldaily.com/news/20100806/964/new-research-childrens-vegetable-intake-linked-to-popeye-cartoons.htm

Researchers at Mahidol University in Bangkok found that Popeye cartoons, tasting parties and junior cooking classes can help increase vegetable intake in kindergarten children.

Twenty six kindergarten children aged four to five participated in the eight week study. The researchers recorded the kinds and amounts of fruit and vegetables eaten by the children before and after the program. During the study, the children planted vegetable seeds, took part in fruit and vegetable tasting parties, cooked vegetable soup, and watched Popeye cartoons. The researchers found vegetable intake doubled and the types of vegetables the children consumed increased from two to four. Parents also reported their children talked about vegetables more often and were proud they had eaten them in their school lunch.

Studies have shown the food habits and eating patterns picked up in early childhood 'track' into later childhood and adulthood. Focusing on healthy food choices at an early age can have a major impact on the future health of adults.

_________OIL-ABSORBING ROBOTS_________

http://web.mit.edu/press/2010/seaswarm.html

Using a cutting edge nanotechnology, researchers at MIT have created a robotic prototype that could autonomously navigate the surface of the ocean to collect surface oil and process it on site.

Called Seaswarm, the system is a fleet of robotic vehicles that uses a conveyor belt covered with a thin nanowire mesh to absorb oil. The fabric, developed by MIT Visiting Associate Professor Francesco Stellacci, can absorb up to twenty times its own weight in oil while repelling water. By heating up the material, the oil can be removed and burnt locally and the nanofabric can be reused. The Seaswarm robot, which is 16 feet long and seven feet wide, uses two square meters of solar panels for self-propulsion. With just 100 watts, the equivalent of one household light bulb, it could potentially clean continuously for weeks.

Traditional skimmers are attached to large vessels and need to constantly return to the shore for maintenance. Over 800 skimmers were deployed in the Gulf of Mexico during the summer of 2010; however, it is estimated that these skimmers collected only three percent of the surface oil. Using swarm behavior, the units will use wireless communication and GPS and manage their coordinates and ensure an even distribution over a spill site. By detecting the edge of a spill and moving inward, a single vehicle could clean an entire site autonomously or engage other vehicles for faster cleaning. MIT researchers estimate that a fleet of 5,000 Seaswarm robots would be able to clean a spill the size of the gulf in one month.

_________LIKEABLE LINKS_________

DSOrganize

http://www.ds-xtra.com/DSOrganize

1dl.us

http://1dl.us/

Download More RAM!

http://www.downloadmoreram.com/

Process Hacker

http://processhacker.sourceforge.net/

Porta photo album generator

http://stegmann.dk/mikkel/porta/

_________QUESTIONABLE QUESTION_________

How come some of us can make armpit noises, and others can't?

_________QUOTABLE QUOTE_________

We do not see things as they are; we see things as we are.

~ Talmud

_________TRIVIAL TRIVIA_________

Which is bouncier - glass or rubber?

Not a trick question - A ball of glass will bounce higher than a ball of rubber. A ball of solid steel will bounce higher than one made entirely of glass.

Source: Arcamax Trivia

_________LAUGHABLE LAUGH_________

What did the Buddhist monk say to the hot dog vendor?

"Make me one with everything."

The vendor makes the hot dog, and the monk gives him a twenty, which he pockets. The monk, after waiting for a moment, asks for his change. The vendor looks at him and says, "Change must come from within."

That's all for this week. Nybble is and will always be a work in progress. Please do send me your comments and suggestions on how to improve Nybble. Just hit the reply button to you know, reply.

Movie 2010.08.30 - The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Slick, flashy, action-packed trailer. Unfortunately, that's all the action you'll see in this movie. Quit while you're ahead.

Another Harry-Potteresque, Percy-Jacksonesque movie offering from Disney. So you have Balthazar (Nicolas Cage) searching for the prime Merlinian throughout the ages. He finally found Dave (Jay Baruchel), but all the kid wants are magic tricks to impress the ladies. Instead of learning proper magic to fight the bad guys, he goes off dating his new girlfriend. But not to worry, this is a Disney movie, remember? Come crunch time, the boy suddenly becomes The One and a master sorcerer. Using his magical powers, complemented by a portable Tesla coil mounted on top of his car, he destroys Morgana and resurrects Balthazar from the dead. Lame.

Movie 2010.08.28 - Defendor

Quite a simplistic plot, but has a nice moral lesson.

By day, delusional Arthur Poppington (Woody Harrelson) works as a traffic guide on construction sites. By night, he becomes superhero Defendor. He goes around town in his truck, looking for bad guys. Since he doesn't really have super powers, he gets beaten up pretty badly most of the time.

Basically, he's after Captain Industry, whom he believes caused the death of her mother. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, he was fooled by a street prostitute (Kat Dennings) into believing that the local crime lord is Captain Industry. He takes on the criminals and the corrupt cops, and ends up getting fatally shot. But not before the good cops arrests all the bad guys. So he didn't die in vain after all.