ivanpedia

Chadstone VIP event - UPDATE

2008-09-16T18:08:00.004+10:00

Yes, the specials for Chadstone VIP/shopping event is up. It's nothing interesting but might be useful if you're waiting for that particular item that is never on sale.

No offers in the flyer on Apple Store. As you might know, a new and the first Apple Store in Melbourne was just opened in Chadstone last Saturday. However, CompNow (the other store that sells Apple stuff) is on the list offering $100 off any Mac purchase on the day (except for Mac Mini) and $30 off Guitar Hero for Mac, so that's $129.95.

One interesting offer is from Coles. I don't think that Coles has participated before but tomorrow, there will be a 5% discount on merchandise. Not sure whether there is any restrictions on the items.

Anyway, the offers are available here on a pdf format.

Enjoy.

Chadstone's Spring Event

2008-09-12T17:20:00.006+10:00

Yes, Spring is here and it's time for another round of sales. It seems compulsory to have a sale on every season of the year. Thankfully, Australia (and some other parts of the world) only have 4 seasons. If we have 12 seasons, we'll have a sale every month.

Anyway, getting back to the 'event'. Chadstone will be having its usual VIP shopping event. This will happen next week on Wednesday, 17th of September. It will start from morning until night time (9 am to 10 pm) so plenty of time to shop. There will be the usual discounts (up to 50% off) and drinks to give away (after 5 pm), and some other things, such as

runway shows, hosted by Alex Perry at 4 pm and 7 pm
free workshop on "How To Look Good Dressed" at 11 am
Christopher Chronis parade at 4pm

If you're heading from the city, there's a free bus that goes straight to Chadstone (stopping along the way of course). You will need to book it so that you will get a seat. You will need to call 1300 558 686 to book.

Up until today, there is no detail on the specials yet. Probably in a couple of days.

picture from chadstoneshopping.com.au

Kylie's Concert

2008-09-12T10:38:00.006+10:00

Kylie's back. Yes, Australia's most beloved singer is back. She just announced her tour for Sydney and Melbourne in December. She initially only had one concert in each city but like we all know that's just tactics by the promoter.

Her first concert sold out in 2 minutes according to reports. Soon after the second show was announced and that too sold out within minutes. Apparently it set a new record in ticket selling history in Australia.

Now, the third show has just been announced and tickets start selling this morning (9 am) and last time I checked, there were still tickets available. So, if you haven't gotten your tickets yet, now might be the time. Go and check out Ticketek here.

Other than Kylie, there are also a lot more artist coming this way (Australia). To name a few:

More information check out Frontier Touring website.

Big Bang ?

2008-09-11T16:51:00.008+10:00

Well, this is definitely one news that wasn't covered until it's way too late. Do you know that yesterday, a bunch of scientists turned on a machine that might cause Armageddon ? This caused a lot of stress to at least one Indian girl who committed suicide fearing the world would end yesterday.

I must say, her fear was not really baseless. The scientists are going to fire up a few particles and then smash them together. Hence, simulating the big bang theory of how the universe began. They are also trying to find out whether there exist a jesus particle, the particle that started them all. It's only a hypothesis now.

Some other scientists are thinking that this might create a black hole which in turn going to swallow all of earth's contents. So far, everything looks alright though (I mean, I'm still typing). However, report says that the scientists have yet to collide the particle. They are just firing up particles now.

The first time I heard about this was on last Sunday. I was reading the papers and there was this story. It is not front page material and it is considered less important than the pregnancy of the Vice President daughter (from McCain camp). So, maybe it is not that important after all.

The facility is located on Geneva, Switzerland

If you want an explanation of how everything works, go to BBC here.

photos from bbc.co.uk

Ferrari Smash

2008-05-05T16:40:00.005+10:00

Imagine getting a call from your son in the middle of the night with this message, "Dad, I've crashed your limited-edition Ferrari. You know, the one that is valued for about $400,000". OK, maybe not exactly like that but 'Ferrari' and 'smash' are two words that shouldn't be in the same sentence.

Well this happened to a very very very unlucky dad. His precious Ferrari was smashed (to a tree), just have a look at the picture above (right). On the left is the boy who crashed it and probably reporting the incident to his dad.

The Ferrari is a limited edition F360 Challenge Stradale, was imported 4 years ago. Only 16 cars are believed to be imported to Australia and New Zealand.

The cause of the crash is (obviously) speed. Probably the kid wanted to try "getting 80 in first gear" like the radio commercial of Melbourne Airport. But for whatever reason, it was a reckless thing to do.

Let's just hope that the dad pays his insurance.

picture from theage.com.au

Iron Man Review

2008-05-01T11:34:00.007+10:00

Well, I watched Iron Man yesterday (thanks to Qantas) and it was alright (not great, just OK), typical action hero movie. I guess the first movie is always the most interesting part cause it tells you the beginning, what happened and how that 'hero' was created. This particular hero does not have super power (like Superman, Spiderman), he just have a super-brain that can develop a super-suit that has a lot of power.

The story line is pretty simple. Guy owns everything by selling weapons, get captured, given a taste of his own products, ran away from the captives (by building himself a man-suit), realise that there is other things to do in life besides selling guns and missiles, decided to stop the weapons production. Fiuh...and that's only the first part. The second part is about him creating the perfect body-suit to help people (by destroying missiles that he produced) then he was back-stabbed by his 'business partner' who creates a bigger suit for himself. They fought and at the end of the day, he won (and get the girl). Pretty simple right ?

Iron Man is played by Robert Downey Jr and his assistant is played by Gwyneth Paltrow. The villain is played by Jeff Bridges and Iron Man sidekick (in the Defence Force) is played by Terrence Howard.

One thing that was fascinating from this movie was the detail of the suit that was shown. Unlike Transformers, the transformation from a car to robot was instantaneous so you can not really look at it with great detail. But this movie was pretty detailed. All I can say is, this year, a lot of kids would want to be an engineer when they grow up.

If you like action hero type of movies (or Iron Man in particular) then go and watch this movie. The movies is packed with action and it's not boring (filled with drama like Spiderman), even managed to slip in a few jokes. I'd say it's alright (just because the story is so predictable) overall but my wife loved it and wants the DVD (or Blu Ray) when it comes out.

Standing Egg

2008-05-01T11:06:00.006+10:00

Can an egg stand ? I just got a very interesting email that says eggs CAN stand, not everyday though. Apparently this phenomenon can only happen once a year, on a certain date. In 2006, it was the 31st May, the following year it happened on 19th of June. This year it's going to happen on the 8th of June. It's something to do with a Chinese festival or something like that.

Sounds impossible ? Have a look at the pictures below.

And again,

So, what do you think now ? Photoshop ? Maybe. I don't know the real answer as well. But come 8th of June 2008, I'm definitely going to try it and if it is a hoax, I'll let you know. If you want to try it, prepare the egg beforehand and don't put it in the fridge.

Grand Theft Auto 4 Out Today

2008-04-29T01:26:00.005+10:00

If you're waiting for it, you would probably know that it's coming out today. Several retailers are even opening up at midnight (this morning) to cater for the fans that have pre-ordered or who wants to grab an early copy.

In Australia, the game is "censored" because the highest rating available is MA15+ for games. The detail of which part of the game is 'toned down' is still not clear. Because of this, several gamers are trying to import the game from US or UK so they get the 'uncensored' version, as the PS3 version is not region locked. Play-Asia has them for about US$70 delivered, details here.

Burnt copies of the game have appeared at torrent sites all over the world several days before the official launch date. It was the Xbox360 version and both Pal and NTSC version were seen around.

The retail price in Australia is $119.95 for standard edition and $149.95 for the special edition. The special edition comes with several 'goodies' like a bag, soundtrack for the game, deposit box, and so on. However, some retailers have already sold out of the special edition several weeks back.

As for the best deals, BigW has the cheapest price at $78 and followed by JB Hifi which sells it at $84.87. This price are for both version of PS3 and Xbox360. Note that trade in is also available with JB Hifi.

Life Could Be a Dream

2008-04-28T20:24:00.005+10:00

Tomorrow, your dream may come true. Well that's true if you're the winner of Super 7's OzLotto. It will jackpot to 40 million dollars. This is a result of nobody winning the first prize for the past 4 weeks. So, if nobody wins tomorrow then maybe it will be $50 million next week. This is probably the biggest draw ever (well, at least it's the biggest I've ever seen).

To get the cash, it's pretty simple, just pick 7 numbers between 1 and 45. Simple, right ? Well not really. If it's that simple, Australia would have a lot of millionaires.

So, if you feel lucky don't forget to get your ticket to dream. I'm definitely getting mine (to dream of course).

picture from Tattslotto

Harvey Norman Specials

2008-04-25T23:13:00.003+10:00

Harvey Norman will have a one day sale tomorrow only. I think the sale starts at 6am until 6pm, it's a bit hard to confirm this. A few bargains can be seen here.

The deal that caught my eyes is 40% of all Xbox360 games. That's just superb. It's not selected items but ALL games. However, there is a limit of 3 games per person. Not sure whether the new GTAIV is included in the deal cause it's nor officially released yet but you can pre-order it.

Another good deal is the Mio C220 GPS system for only $188. If you're in need of a GPS navigation unit then this is probably the cheapest I've seen so far. There is also a Phillips iron for $25, which Harvey Norman claims that they're selling below cost.

Anyway, it's sure worth it to check out your local Harvey Norman store tomorrow. For your nearest store check out their website http://www.harveynorman.com.au/.

New Face of David Jones

2008-04-25T21:40:00.005+10:00

Guess who is replacing Megan Gale as the face of David Jones. It's Miranda Kerr. Sounds familiar ? Alright, how about you have a look at her picture below and have a bit of a think,

Remember now ? She used to appear on Portmans' commercial, TV and massive posters which says "She Lights Up The Room". This year, she was one of the Australian model that joins other international models such as Heidi Klum in the Victoria's Secret annual Fashion Show.

Now, she will be replacing Megan Gale as the face of David Jones. The picture above is from her in-store appearance in Sydney just a couple of days ago.

Anyway, just thought I'll let you know cause you'll definitely be seeing more of her.

picture from heraldsun.com.au

Mario Kart is Out Today

2008-04-24T11:33:00.004+10:00

The long awaited (at least for me it is) Mario Kart for Wii is out today in Australia (apparently it's delayed in New Zealand). The game comes with the 'steering wheel' accessory for the Wiimote so you can make the racing experience a tiny bit more real.

Anyway, if you want to grab one, Toys R Us has the cheapest deal at the moment for $74.99 and the rest varies

Toys 'R' Us - $74.99
Big W - $76.84
Kmart - $77
JB Hi-F - $79
Target - $79.95

This prices are for this week only, I believe, and after that it will go back to $99. The 'steering wheel' is also sold separately for $19.95, very expensive for a bit of plastic but hey, that's Nintendo for you.

Another exciting thing is the introduction of a Nintendo club in Australia (I think it's like a frequent flyer thing, buy things get points, etc). It's rumoured that in every Mario Kart Wii game, there is an invitation to join the club.

Anyway, I can't wait to play the game. I will post the review soon.

Earth Hour This Saturday

2008-03-27T15:34:00.006+11:00

Hey everybody, Earth Hour is happening this Saturday 29th of March. Be involve by turning OFF your lights at 8pm for an hour. Save electricity, help reduce emission and ultimately, help save the earth.

The movement was started last year in Sydney but this year it is extending to the world. Everybody all around the world is taking part, even the businesses/corporate.

More information about the Earth Hour here.

UPDATE: Melbourne city will also be dark during Earth Hour with most of the businesses committing to participate in the event. Restaurants that are 'switching off' will have candle lighting up the tables. This might be a rare chance to see what Melbourne looks like with no lights. Of course there are other cities that will participate in Earth Hour, full details go to the website.

No Spice Girls for Australia

2008-02-06T14:30:00.000+11:00

There will be no reunion concert for the Spice Girls in Australia. This is sad news. The group decided to call it quit after 3 months of touring. Their last concert will be at Toronto and it's happening on the end of this month (February 26th). The official statement said that the tour needs to come to an end due to family and personal commitments for Emma, Geri, Mel B, Melanie C and Victoria.

The Spice Girls planned shows around the world (Australia, China, and so on) but sadly only Europe and US were covered in the 3 months. For Australia, one show was originally scheduled for Sydney. Further talks from promoter suggest that they might be playing other cities as well but it is unlikely after this.

One tabloid speculates that the tour ended early because Victoria Beckham is too exhausted. She wanted to focus more on her family and her fashion business.

Well, it's a really disappointing news for me. I was really looking forward to their concert if it were to reach Down Under but that's not going to happen now. So, I guess I have to be happy with their CDs.

Parting message (and official news/statement) from the group can be viewed at their website, thespicegirls.com.

picture from thespicegirls.com

Interest Rate Rise Again

2008-02-06T11:46:00.000+11:00

Yesterday, Australia got another interest rate rise. It is now at 7%, the highest level since 1996. The Reserve Bank Australia (RBA) wants to control inflation which is still high at the moment.

If you have a mortgage, the advice is to lock your interest rate right away because banks have yet to pass the latest rate rise to customer. This latest rise will increase your monthly repayments by about $40 (based on a $300,000 mortgage). News.com.au has a handy calculator to let you calculate repayments. It can be found here.

UPDATE: Commonwealth Bank is the first major bank to increase its rate by 0.30%.

Pink for Nano

2008-01-23T12:00:00.000+11:00

The iPod Nano just got another colour added to the 8GB collection. It's PINK, just in time for Valentine's Day. Anyway, it's the same price and it's shipping now. Go to Apple Store to get it.

Heath Ledger Gone

2008-01-23T10:44:00.000+11:00

Australia has lost one its great actor. Heath Ledger was found dead in his New York apartment. The cause of death is still unknown at this stage but it is suspected that he overdosed.

This is a sad news for Australia and the world. Heath is to star as the Joker in the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. He was nominated for an Oscar for his role in Brokeback Mountain.

Heath also had a daughter, Matilda with Michelle Williams his fiancee at the time. She was a co-star in Brokeback Mountain. The couple then split up in 2007.

Well Heath, good bye and may you rest in peace. We will all miss you.

picture from theage.com.au

Global Recession

2008-01-22T18:44:00.000+11:00

Today is a bad day in the share market all around the world. Australian market lost 7% whilst other markets suffer about the same. US market is not open yet due to a holiday so it will be interesting to see what will happen there.

Anyway, Herald Sun has a good article about this crisis, somewhat a guide if you haven't been following the developments. Here is the article:

Market meltdown - what you need to know
By Kate Perry, NEWS.com.au money editor

BILLIONS of dollars have been wiped off global share markets since the beginning of the year as investors panic in the face of an economic slowdown.

The hectic selling has been prompted by fears of a US recession – with gurus from global finance powerhouse Goldman Sachs now increasingly confident in forecasting a US recession this year.

If the US does go into recession it will hurt global markets. The cliche about the whole world catching a cold when the US sneezes is grounded in history.

Goldman Sachs has downgraded its economic growth outlook for Australia on the back of its US recession fears. The bank now expects Australia’s economic growth to slow to 3 per cent this year, from earlier forecasts of 3.5 percent, before slowing further to 2.75 per cent next year.

A range of forces have combined to produce the new-year panic on the world markets, but it is chiefly driven by the problems in the US sub-prime market.

What is the sub-prime market?

The first step on the road to recession was the crisis to hit the US mortgage market –or the sub-prime crisis.

During a long property boom US banks and other lenders gave money to may people who had low income or no deposit for a home. They got their loans despite failing to meet ordinary credit criteria.

The US Federal Reserve raised interest rates four times starting in 2006. Over-stretched borrowers fell into arrears, forcing several major US banks to write-off billions of dollars in bad debt.

One American economist estimated that the total cost of the sub-prime crisis, including the write-down in bad debts, falling property prices, and money wiped off the share market could be as much as $US400 billion ($465 billion).

How does the sub-prime crisis affect Australia?

Australian banks and home loan providers borrow money from overseas, including the US. The cost of borrowing that money has gone up following the sub-prime crisis. Australia’s big banks have taken the unusual step of raising home loan rates independently of a move by the Reserve Bank.

The “R” words

Rates and recession are two words that strike fear into the hearts of property and equity investors.

Unemployment is rising, property prices are falling, and Wall Street is plunging. In an effort to stimulate spending George W. Bush is considering pumping up to $US150 billion into the economy.

The US Federal Reserve has also said it would consider dropping interest rates if necessary.

In contrast to the US Federal Reserve, the Australia central bank continues to talk up interest rates. The Reserve Bank last raised rates in November to 6.75 per cent. It next meets on February 5 and while it was recently thought another rate rise was likely, the board will have some serious reflection to do before deciding to inflict another hike on Australians.

One of the RBA’s key tasks is to keep inflation, or the rate of price rises, within a range of 2-3 per cent. Fresh inflation data is due out tomorrow and if the figure is high, a rate hike is more likely because of the handbrake effect that rate rises have on spending.

Yesterday the Rudd government announced a package aimed at getting inflation under control.

Global turmoil

Markets have plunged around the world, with European markets reporting their biggest falls since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The German DAX index fell 7.2pc overnight, while London’s FTSE was down 5.5 pc.

Wall St was closed yesterday due to the Martin Luther King holiday, but the futures market is pointing to another huge drop when trading resumes today. The Dow Jones futures market is down 4.5 per cent, and the S&P 500 futures market is down 4.7 per cent.: In-depth latest

Original article here.

HD DVD Player Price Drop

2008-01-22T15:54:00.000+11:00

Toshiba will cut their HD-DVD players in Australia following a press release today. This will replace the current cashback offer and/or redemptions. The new prices for the players are:

HD-E1: $299 with 4 free movies (box: 1 + redemption: 3)
HD-EP10: $399 with 6 free movies (box: 1 + redemption: 5)
HD-XE1: $599 with 11 free movies (box: 1 + redemption: 10)

Redemption titles is still unknown at this stage but expect to hear more in the next couple of days.

This is excellent news considering Australia rarely get any price cut. XE1 which is the top of the line player gets more than 50% price cut. It used to retail for $1399. Toshiba has cut the prices in the US as well a couple of weeks ago in the wake of Warner's decision to go Blu-Ray exclusive and a shift in marketing focus.

I was considering to get a dedicated player for HD-DVD but opted to wait cause of the prices in Australia. At one stage, I even wanted to import one from the US. But now, it seems that I can get a local one.

The press release can be read here.

No Caffeine for Mum-To-Be

2008-01-22T13:12:00.000+11:00

A new research in the US has found the link between miscarriage and caffeine. Women who drink two or more glasses of coffee (200 mg of caffeine or more) during their pregnancy double their risk of miscarriage. So if you are pregnant that's one more thing to add on the 'no drinking' list.

So you think I'm not just making it up, Herald Sun covers the story here and the researcher is Dr De-Kun Li of Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. This study will be published in American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Hamish and Andy Back for 2008

2008-01-22T12:11:00.000+11:00

Hamish and Andy are back for 2008. They started their first show yesterday and will continue on their normal time slot 4-6pm.

I've got to say these guys are pretty hilarious. In 2007, they did quite some amazing stuff. They lived together as a conjoined twins for a week, they went to a nudist colony, Hamish did a marathon to beat Katie Holmes, Hamish had to wear a helmet for a week (cause he lost in the celebrity GP), Andy hooked up with Megan Gale, they all went in a caravan of courage all over Australia and the list goes on.

In 2008, they promised more to come. Their first show in 2008 was really a cracker. Hamish got to the bottom of Andy's alleged proposal to Megan. They also chatted with a paparazzi. They even had a recap of 2008, what a year it has been. But the best bit that I love was the song that they made for Corey, the infamous party boy.

In my opinion, it's nice listening to them not because of their 'silly stunts' but because they are two best mates that just want to have fun. They sure made me laugh. Anyway, you can podcast their show if you miss anything from their website or straight from iTunes.

Their regular show is 4-6pm weekdays on Fox FM in Melbourne (other state it's on the Austereo radio network so I think it's 2day for Sydney etc). Make sure you don't miss these boys.

picture from fox.com.au

Coincidently, this is also my 200th post. Yay.

No More Boost Discount

2008-01-18T17:45:00.000+11:00

From the 1st of February you can throw your Boost VIBE card cause it'll be worthless. There will be no more discount from February.

If you don't already know, VIBE is loyalty card from Boost Juice Bars that can be used to get 10% off their products. To get the VIBE card, you have to collect 10 stamps from buying a juice/smoothie at Boost.

Janine Allis sent an email about this earlier in the week, here is what she has to say.

Dear Very Important Boost Enthusiasts,

Over the last few years we have been fortunate enough to give our VIBE club members a 10% discount on our range of juices and smoothies.

Unfortunately due to the drought in Australia, the cost of making you the freshest juices and smoothies has gone up substantially, especially in the last 12 months; so much so that we have had to make a tough decision... either put our prices up, or keep them at the existing price and remove the 10% discount for VIBE members. We have chosen to remove the 10% VIBE discount, effective 1st February 2008. You can, however, still enjoy the benefits of the Boost loyalty stamp card (buy 10 and get the 11th free)

Our VIBE club remains with great monthly specials and exclusive offers to members, such as the VIBE Challenge and your free Birthday Boost. Should the drought break and the cost of our ingredients come back down, we will review the 10% discount again.

Thanks again for your loyalty to Boost, and for any feedback you would like to make regarding this please feel free to email me at janine@boostjuicebars.com

Janine Allis

Founder

Well Janine, we are devastated. But that's OK, at least you could still buy 10 get 1 free. Back to collecting stamps then.

BMW Hydrogen 7

2008-01-18T16:23:00.000+11:00

I guess by now everybody should know that our world is in dire need to be saved. Being 'green' is the talk of the town (world even) because the issue of global warming is here now and if we don't do anything, we will be in danger.

Cars are one of the main contributor to global warming but this might change in the future. Innovations are coming from all the car companies to build a better car and one example of this is BMW.

BMW Hydrogen 7, that's the new name for the car that emits water instead of carbon dioxide, monoxide, etc. And if you're in Melbourne, you're in luck. You can see this machine in flesh at Federation Square starting from the 21st of January until the 28th of January. Admission is free and it's open 11am to 3pm daily. It is also open during the Australia Day weekend.

If you want to see the BMW Hydrogen 7 website, click here.

Apple Has Done it Again

2008-01-17T14:02:00.001+11:00

Well, 2008 and another Macworld just went underway. As always, Apple uses the event to launch its exciting new products. Well this year there are 4 things.

1. Time Capsule
It's basically a wireless network router which is equipped with a hard disk for back-up purposes. This product complements Time Machine, a feature available on the current Mac OS X, Leopard. It comes in two sizes, 500GB and 1TB, which should plenty (for now).

2. Software Upgrade
More apps (applications) for the iPhone (which sadly is irrelevant to us in Australia) and iPod Touch. Several apps are added to both hardware. iPhone users get free upgrade whereas iPod Touch users must pay US$20 (don't know the Aussie equivalent yet) for the upgrade.

The cool thing is the Maps app. Why ? Because it can pinpoint your location with a new technology. It does not use GPS because none of the hardware has a GPS receiver. On the iPhone, it uses cell-tower triangulation and Wi-Fi triangulation whereas the iPod Touch only uses the latter.

Cell tower triangulation is pretty obvious, it finds several cell towers, triangulate it and find your position (Apple is working with Google on this one). Wi-Fi triangulation uses Wi-Fi hotspots to determine your location. So basically there's this company that has the list of hotspots locations and they have them in the database. To determine your location, the device will see your nearest Wi-Fi spots, triangulate it and cross reference with the database so that you can be found.

This is cool and could see the end of GPS (well maybe not) but I believe, the application will be further implemented to other mobile phones and GPS receiver will no longer be needed to get the "where are you now" functionality. As long as you have a Wi-Fi, you can basically know where you are. Obviously this will not work in rural areas or mountains, etc, GPS still wins here. But it's a really exciting new technology. Thumbs up for Apple.

3. Movies
Movie rentals from iTunes. Hopefully this will come to Australia. Our only exciting content in iTunes is just music.

To support all this, Apple is relaunching Apple TV with new features. It is now possible to use the Apple TV on its own without a computer (you used to need a computer to download content to Apple TV). I think it's great now. If the movies are coming here, I'll definitely get one of this.

4. Macbook Air

This one is the revolutionary one. A super thin Macbook, dubbed the Macbook Air. Just have a look at some shots below.

Just watch the ad if you don't believe me, it can fit into an envelope. If you're wandering what song is played on the ad, it is "New Soul" by Yael Naim. You can get them in iTunes.

It's super thin, lightweight with full keyboard (back lit), full display (back lit) and very very cool trackpad (mouse thingy). It is cool cause the trackpad supports multi gesture (with one finger, two finger, and so on). As an example, if you want to zoom into something, you can pinch the trackpad. Apple has incorporated the technology on iPhone and apply it to the laptop.

It is thin so you cannot change anything, no even the battery. If you want to change the battery, you must go to Apple, just like an iPod. Also, it only has 1 USB 2.0 port, a headphone port, mini DVI connection and a power adapter connection. That's it, no ethernet, no Firewire, no DVD drive nothing. It's suppose to do everything with wireless. That's why it has the Wi-Fi 802.11n.

All the features as you expect come with a hefty price tag. The cheapest configuration starts at $2499 for Australia. If you want to get the solid state disk (SSD), it jumps to a ridiculous $4500. This is because SSD is still very expensive.

It is also Apple's first environmental friendly product. The display is Mercury free, and case is from aluminum that is recyclable too name a few. You can watch the guided tour for the product on Apple's website here.

It is definitely an impressive product but I don't know whether I want to get it. It's very expensive and with a couple of hundred dollars more you can get a Macbook Pro. But if versatility is what you're after, then you cannot go wrong with Macbook Air. It's got everything and so much more. Pre-orders are already open for the product. Just follow the link/picture below.

pictures from apple.com

Happy New Year!!!

2008-01-04T22:25:00.000+11:00

I'd just like to say Happy New Year to all who read my blog. 2007 was great but let's hope for a better year in 2008. Anyway, I hope to increase the level of posting in 2008 so wish me luck on that.

Borders Discount Coupons

2007-12-14T15:54:00.000+11:00

Christmas is nearly here and if you haven't gotten your gift sorted, check out this offer from Borders. Until Tuesday, Borders is offering big discounts on their books, CDs and DVDs. All you need to do is just print the coupon.

Books: buy 3, get 30% and buy 4, get 40%
CDs: 40% off
DVDs: 40% off

Remember, discounts apply to the full price (the price at the back of the item normally), and not the 'great price' or 'sale price'.

Just a litte note, Borders now stock Blu-Ray and HD-DVD and the DVD coupon can be used for them as well. So if you are into high definition, go and check Borders out. I got myself a Transformer HD DVD last time.

Victoria's Secret

2007-12-10T16:22:00.000+11:00

Everybody make sure you set your TV tonight to Channel 10. Get your recorder out, high definition TV ready because tonight, the Victoria's Secret annual fashion show will be on. It will be showing at 8.30pm.

It sure is an interesting one because Aussie model, Miranda Kerr is now joining the lovely ladies at Victoria's Secret.

If you don't know her, she was (or is) the model for Portmans (I think it's Portmans not Kookai or something else). Anyway, she appeared on prints and the TV commercial for them.

The Spice Girls also made a performance on the show. Rumour has it that they lip-sync on the show. It was completely denied, of course. I guess I'll have to check it myself tonight.

But, Victoria's Secret fashion show is always interesting to watch, I mean when else would you see half-naked ladies running around with wings. So, take this down Channel 10, Monday 10th December 2007, 8.30pm.

pictures from egossip.com, telegraph.co.uk

TV Shows : Strike Mode On

2007-12-06T14:07:00.000+11:00

This season, Australian TV tried to be different with the US TV shows. Instead of waiting 6 months after they air in the States, they 'fast-tracked' it to 1 week. That's good for us but at the year when they started implementing this, the writers went on strike.

If you haven't heard, the writers association in the US is on strike refusing to write anymore scripts for any TV shows. They want fairer compensation on DVD sales or something like that. Anyway, it's been going on for weeks now and some TV shows are on halt, forcing them to end the season halfway or 10 episodes early.

Anyway, the strike is not going to stop soon and obviously you want to know what happens to your favourite TV show, what happens to the cheerleader, bionic woman, Jack Bauer and so on. Well, this guy in the US has compiled a fairly comprehensive list of what is happening to the shows. Check it out here. It will let you know what's happening with this season and how it impacts the shows. There are some shows that has no more episodes left (like Heroes), or some shows won't be aired at all (24). Some has a few episodes left up their sleeves but will finish up very soon as well.

Well, we all hope that this strike will be over soon because watching shows like this is definitely not funny at all. The link again, here.

Maroon 5 + One Republic Touring

2007-11-30T20:00:00.000+11:00

Maroon 5 is coming back to Australia and they're taking One Republic with them as well. One Republic is a new comer but their single Apologize with Timbaland is currently number 1 in Australian charts. That single also made world record for being the most played song in a week over in UK (over than 10,000 times).

On top of the two acts, local musician will also support the concert (looks like a jam-packed concert). Both Brandi Carlile and Ry Cuming will also be supporting Maroon 5.

Here are the concert details:

28/03 - Perth
30/03 - Melbourne
31/04 - Adelaide
02/04 - Brisbane
04/04 - Sydney
06/06 - Auckland (NZ)

I still remember when I first attended their concert (when they were not 'so famous'), it was only at a small venue in Crown Casino. They then progressed to a bigger space in West Melbourne for their next show and now they're playing Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. How amazing.

Anyway, there is pre-sale happening for Frontier Member (the touring company) and it's at 3pm Tuesday, 4th of December until 3pm the next day. The catch is you need to register with Frontier Touring (which is not a big deal).

Further details for the concert and pre-sale on Frontier's website.

picture from www.frontiertouring.com.au

New Melbourne Public Transport Fares 2008

2007-11-28T16:27:00.001+11:00

Another year, another increase in public transport price. Well, that's fine but WHERE IS THE BLOODY TRAIN ? Starting from next year, all tickets will have a new price even though the train service is really not reliable (at all). Anyway, the increase affects all and not just train so let us put our anger aside.

So back to the increase. Average increase will be 2.1% in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI). V/Line fares will also increase by this much. As an example, in the new year a daily ticket (zone 1) will set you back $6.50 (increase by 20 cents).

However, there will be a new card being introduced next year in April. It's called 5 x Weekend Daily Metcard. This card allows you to run around on Saturday or Sunday. It is sort of like the Sunday Saver that we've got at the moment but you can use it on Saturday as well.

Unfortunately, there will be no Saturday Saver metcard (single ones) so you cannot buy them individually (must be in a pack of 5). A pack of 5 costs $14.50, which is a huge savings if you only use transport on weekends.

Sunday Saver will also be increased to $2.90, the first increase ever since the ticket was introduced back in 2004. For a full list of the increase, check the Metlink website here.

pictures from metlinkmelbourne.com.au
metcard logo is trademarked

Apple Sale

2007-11-28T15:03:00.000+11:00

Apple Australia is holding its annual online sale this FRIDAY (30th Nov). So make sure you mark it down on your diary. The sale is only for ONE DAY only.

The sale follows Apple sale in the US last week during Thanksgiving, normally known as Black Friday. You could say it is the equivalent of Boxing Day here in Australia.

The discounts should be closely similar to the US sale. The US sale includes the following items:

iMac, MacBook
iPod classic, nano, shuffle
Airport Extreme Base Station and Express Base Station
Wireless Mighty Mouse
LaCie mini Hard Drive & HUB 500GB
M-Audio KeyStudio 49,M-Audio Studiophile AV20 Speakers
Apple Bluetooth Headset
iLife '08, iWork '08, Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 , Microsoft Office
All items include free shipping.

Remember that this was the list for the US sale and not the Australian one. This list is provided as an indication only. Last year the sale follows the US sale very closely. Shop here.

Australia: You Have Decided

2007-11-26T09:59:00.000+11:00

Well, congratulations to both Prime Minister Rudd which was elected on Saturday and Natalie Gauci which was voted to be the 2007 Australian Idol winner last night. In a weekend of voting, Australia decided whose face they want to see more on TV and whose voice they want to hear most.

Election 07
PM Rudd won the election fairly comfortably. He got plenty of seats and some say his win was historic. Well, it's kind of historic considering that there were a few seats that was taken over by his party from the Liberal.

The biggest loser on Saturday night was the Liberal party. John Howard not only lost the government, he also lost his seat. He wanted to create history by becoming the PM for the fourth time in a row but instead he made a history in another way (by losing his seat and his government). Peter Costello however, still retains his seat but made a statement to everybody that he will not be the leader of the Liberal party and now the party seems to be in a bit of mess.

Congratulations again PM Rudd, and we hope that you keep your promises and be a wise leader.

Australian Idol
On a lighter note, Natalie Gauci from Melbourne has won Australian Idol beating Matt Corby, the show favourite. She won just hours away from her birthday, making the win a sweet birthday present.

I think it's great that she won and not Matt Corby. Matt is a really really talented boy and it didn't matter whether he came second or first last night because I'm pretty sure he'll be around the (music) industry. But I do have something to say about the boy. He's been wearing the ugliest stuff throughout the competition. The outfit he wore on grand final (when he was performing) was a tight red pants and it sure made him look like Santa's elves but hey if he can pull it off, that's fine by me.

Natalie's winner single, Here I Am is on sale today. You can grab them here.

It can also be downloaded on Telstra Bigpond Music (other online retailers will get it on Monday). She will also be touring on the new year and tickets for that will be available on Monday. For more details, check the website australianidol.com.au

pictures from theage.com.au, heraldsun.com.au

Christmas = Shopping

2007-11-20T11:07:00.000+11:00

Christmas is coming soon, less than 40 days as a matter of fact. What does that mean ? It means that you need to get your gifts sorted with all the upcoming Christmas parties. Well, not to worry cause if you get things early, you will be able to avoid the Christmas rush.

Retailers are already starting their Christmas sale and some even have special VIP night. Take advantage of this cause you won't find any other deal near Christmas time.

Anyway, here are the list of VIP/shopping nights that I know. Hope this helps with the gift-buying.

Myer - all stores
20th November
5.30pm - 10pm
Discounts throughout the stores (normal Myer discounts) including 20% off toys, 10% electronics, 40% books and so on.

Chadstone Shopping Centre
21st November
9am - midnight
15 hours of VIP shopping event with discounts up to 60% off. There are refreshments, hand massaged, hair styling, mini makeovers, and so on. For full list of offers, click here (or here on pdf).

Brand Smart Factory Outlet
22nd November
6.30pm - 9.30pm
Beach party VIP night with discounts up to 70% off and summer cocktails on arrival, lucky draw and plenty of entertainment throughout the night. No full discount list as yet. For location details, click here.

Voting Week

2007-11-19T16:26:00.000+11:00

This week is BIG for Australia. It is voting week. It is the week where Australia decides its new prime minister and its new Australian Idol.

Federal Election
This is happening next Saturday, the 24th of November. Instructions have been sent out to household on the method to vote. Basically you'll get two papers, white and green, and there are different instructions on how to fill them.

And by the end of the day, Australia will know whether they will have a new prime minister or the same old one.

I think Australia need a new leader and Kevin Rudd is perfect for it. However, I'm just not pretty sure about his staff. I believe John Howard is old school but I think he has stronger staff. But the problem of voting John Howard is that in a couple of years, you'll get Peter Costello, which I don't think cut it to become a PM. He's a nice guy though but for some reason, I wouldn't want him to be the PM. I think it is still 50-50. There is still a chance for both parties to win.

One thing that I find impressive of Kevin Rudd is his willingness to appear at television and radio shows (FM not AM). This might be his strategy to reach young people votes and I think it's working. He showed up at Rove Live yesterday, this morning at 9am and Fox FM breakfast show. Even though he was still careful in answering all the questions, he was more relaxed and it's not really boring to listen or watch him. He did avoided Rove question on who would he turn gay for but I think he would have been in a big trouble if he did.

Australian Idol
After several weeks of Idol competition, it comes down to the final two, Matt Corby and Natalie Gauci. Their last performance was last night, and they previewed the winner's song as well. The announcement will be on Sunday night at the Opera House.

I would say that both singers are pretty good. I want Natalie to win though because I think she's got a great voice and her fashion sense is way better than Matt. I think the winner's song sounded nicer from her. Don't get me wrong, I think Matt is fantastic as well. He's 17 and multi talented. He can perform with a pyjama and the girls will still adore him.

Anyway, we'll know the result soon enough. In the betting market, Matt is tipped to win. If you missed out with their last performance, you can still check it out at the Idol website.

picture from theage.com.au, australianidol.com.au

Hamish to Beat Katie Holmes [UPDATED]

2007-11-12T11:51:00.000+11:00

Hamish from Hamish and Andy said on the show last week that Katie Holmes record of 5-and-a-half hour on a marathon recently in New York was rubbish and believe that he can beat her time. Andy, being a good friend, offered Hamish to try it out (do the whole marathon - 42km) and prove it that he can be Katie Holmes. This is on TODAY (Monday).

At the moment, Hamish is running on the tracks in Albert Park with Andy following up the back in a golf cart. Their show will start at 4pm and by 5.20pm, they will know whether Hamish has indeed beat Katie Holmes. If you want, you can go there and cheer him on.

Anyway, to listen to their show last week, you can podcast them here and don't forget to tune into their show this afternoon to check the result. This will be fun.

UPDATE
Hamish has finished the marathon and beat Katie's record in the marathon. He has finished 5 minutes earlier than Katie's time. Congratulation Hamish. I really didn't think that you could do it but you did. Amazing.

iiNet Naked DSL Coming Soon

2007-11-09T20:05:00.000+11:00

For most of us, to get a fast internet connection, we need to get ADSL. The first requirement to have an ADSL is a phone line. Getting a phone line means that we need to pay line rental every month. That obviously makes sense but nowadays there is not a lot of people that is still using home phones but they still want the internet connection.

This is going to change soon with the introduction of Naked DSL service, which basically means that you can connect your ADSL internet service without connecting your phone line. This basically saves you $30 a month.

iiNet is one of the internet service provider (ISP) that will do this. They have been trialling the service to a number of customers and it is going well. As a result, they will launch the naked DSL pretty soon. To get more info, iiNet has launched a website for this new product, http://www.gonaked.com.au/ or http://www.iinet.net.au/gonaked.

You can register your interest there and find out more about the naked DSL. I think it will launch end of November. I think it's a great product but customer need to realise that they will not have a home phone so any service that is associated with a phone (faxing, etc) will not work. Another downside is that you will not have a reliable line to call emergency (triple-0) if such a need arise.

24 Season 7

2007-11-09T19:48:00.000+11:00

The TV drama hit series, 24, is coming back next year for another season. It will premiere on the 13th of January 2008 in the US. The trailer for the new season has been released and can be viewed here.

However, I'm not sure whether the recent protest by the writers in Hollywood will effect the show. I have read somewhere that 24 will be one of the show that will be affected. I guess we could only wait and see.

Halo Proposal

2007-11-09T19:35:00.000+11:00

Keeping with the subject of love today, a guy has proposed to a girl through the popular Xbox360 game, Halo 3.

The guy (Moviesign) created a special map in the game and asked her (furtive penguin) to join in the battle with his mates. He then brought her to a spot to get a certain item (to power up or something). The item was not there but proposal was. He used weapons to create the Marry Me? sign.

She said yes by the way.

Love is a Beautiful Thing

2007-11-09T18:56:00.001+11:00

Everybody in this world wants to be loved and love someone. This man, Patrick Moberg, from the US saw a girl of his dream when he was riding the subway. He couldn't gather enough courage to ask her there and then for her name and number but that didn't let him down or stop him entirely.

He went and created a website to search for this girl. The website is called www.nygirlofmydreams.com. On the website, he put this drawing:

Well, everyone helped him out, people passed the website around and even the media helped him out. In the end, his search was not in vain, the girl was found, her friend recognised her and texted him to confirm. She is a Melbourne girl which is doing an internship in New York.

Anyway, cut the long story short, the pair decided to meet up and the website has been closed. He put this as his parting message.
"Here's where it gets tricky. In our best interest, there will be no more updates to this website. Unlike all the romantic comedies and bad pop songs, you'll have to make up your own ending for this''

Here is an interview with the guy.

Horrible Mix Up

2007-11-08T17:20:00.000+11:00

The love from parents to their child is an amazing thing. In the UK, a mom booked in a stripper to perform at the school on the son's 16th birthday.

First, the mom told the teacher that there will be a '"birthday surprise" that is going to walk in during class. On the actual day, the teacher told everybody in class that there will be a surprise and yes it was a real surprise.

A stripper (or adult performer) came in with a policewoman outfit and spanked the birthday boy 16 times (for the 16th birthday) for being naughty and not doing his homework. She then dance and strip to her underwear.

As if that is not embarrassing (or hilarious) enough, the "performer" took out a cream out of her bag and asked the birthday boy to rub it all over her. At this point, the teacher had enough and stopped the whole thing.

The birthday boy then ran outside the class after this little "incident".

This little "incident" happened in Nottingham. Don't believe me ? Well, read the actual news at The Times. Well, apparently a man in a gorilla costume is suppose to come and it is believed that the mom made a booking error.

I'd say that's the best birthday present a mom could ever get her 16 year old son.

Chopstick Bra ? What the ... ? [UPDATED]

2007-11-08T14:01:00.000+11:00

I never doubt that Japanese are a bunch of innovative people. Well, their latest "invention" is a bra that can help the environment. How can a bra help the environment ? The simple answer is by reducing the use of disposable chopsticks.

That answer might prove to be the most puzzling statement ever so let us elaborate. Triumph Japan (the underwear company) made a bra that ~~incorporate a small pouch to store~~ comes with chopsticks. As you would know, everybody uses chopsticks in Japan and the most common chopsticks available if you are eating out is the disposable one (the wooden one).

Apparently, Japanese people realise that this is creating a lot of waste so there is a trend now to "carry your own" chopsticks in bags.

Anyway, this is what the bra looks like :

~~The pouch is on the side strap (if you are looking for it).~~ The bra is decorated with a bowl of rice and a bowl of miso soup, the chopsticks are in between the bowl/cups and it's collapsible. ~~We know that the pouch has a purpose but~~ I have no idea why they put the fake rice and miso soup there.

~~I am not sure whether the pouch is on both straps although the picture sure indicates that way. If it is then the ladies can carry 2 pair of chopsticks, perhaps for reserve or for the partner.~~

But I believe this bra is flawed. There is no fashionable way to take out the chopsticks (from the bra) when you want to use it other than going inside the shirt/blouse/dress and pulling it out. A lot of problems can occur here, chopsticks might get stuck and not considering the hygiene issues.

Unfortunately (or fortunately ?), the bra is not available for sale (yet?) so at least for know we still need to carry our chopsticks in our bags or someplace else.

picture from heraldsun.com.au, gizmodo.com.au

Krispy Kreme Offer

2007-11-02T19:45:00.000+11:00

There is an offer for you Krispy Kreme lover. On Melbourne Cup Day (this Tuesday by the way), if you purchase any one dozen doughnuts between 10am and 12pm you will get another dozen of Original Glazed™ FREE.

MacBook Upgrade [Updated]

2007-11-02T02:43:00.000+11:00

Apple has quietly update their MacBook line. The MacBook now uses the Santa Rosa chipset (in English: newer model) which has a faster 800 MHz front side bus.

The video card uses the new Intel GMA X3100. Australian store has NOT been updated to reflect this upgrade (the US store has the new models) however the MacBook information page has been changed. So, I'm not sure whether the pricing point will change (considering the strong Aussie dollar).

The new models specifications are:

White - 2.0GHz/1GB RAM/80GB/Combo/GMA X3100 - $1599
White - 2.2GHz/1GB RAM/120GB/SD-DL/GMA X3100 - $1899
Black - 2.2GHz/1GB RAM/160GB/SD-DL/GMA X3100 - $2199

Click here to go to Apple Store.

UPDATE
Apple Store Australia now has the new MacBook. Prices is added above.

Games Expo

2007-11-02T02:18:00.000+11:00

There will be 2 games expo in the coming weeks for Melbourne. One is Game1 Expo and the other is eGames 07.

Game1 Expo
The expo will be held on the 10th and 11th of November at Melbourne Exhibition Centre in Southbank. It will run concurrently with the Auto Salon expo so buying one ticket allows you to go to the other event.

There will be PC LAN and Xbox360 tournament on the expo. Registration and details on the website. Entry is $22 per person (gives you entry to the Auto Salon as well).

More info at the website here. This expo will go to Sydney on December (final for the Auto Salon competition).

eGames 07
The following week from Game1, from the 16th to 18th of November, eGames 07 will be on. It is again on the same location (Melbourne Exhibition Centre, Southbank).

This expo will likely have more games content as suppose to the previous one just because this is an expo on its own whereas Game1 is more of a 'shared' expo with the Auto Salon.

The tickets are $16 for adults, $13 for child/concessions, $38 for family (2 adults and 2 child) and $22 for a 2-day pass. More info, go to the website here.

ARIA Awards 2007

2007-10-30T00:06:00.000+11:00

Well they say it's the biggest music night in Australia and probably it was. Australia's biggest music stars assembled in Sydney on Sunday night. There were Missy Higgins, Silverchair, Powderfinger, Sneaky Sound System, Operator Please, John Butler Trio, Ricki Lee, Damien Leith, Shannon Noll, Keith Urban, Delta Goodrem, The Veronicas, Chaser's Boys and many more. Nicole Kidman was there as well accompanying husband, Keith Urban.

There were great performances on the show I must say. Sneaky Sound System delivered a great mix of their current hits and it was fantastic. I'm not a big fan of them but after their performance I am definitely buying their album. John Butler Trio also performed with Keith Urban but I didn't get a chance to see the performance so I can't comment on it.

Everybody actually look stunning last night. Anyway, I didn't realise that Megan Gale is really tall (really tall). She was presenting an award and the winner looks tiny compared to her.

Here are the winner's list:

images from theage.com.au, ninemsn.com.au

Loop Mall in Chadstone

2007-10-26T19:15:00.000+10:00

Well, if you've been to Chadstone Shopping Centre lately, you probably saw a lot of construction works going. Yes, Chadstone is revamping, inside and out. Part of the revamp is to create a walkway from the Kmart section to the Toys R Us section and hence, create more stores for the centre.

This work has now been completed and it's opening on Monday. It is called the Loop Mall. The Loop Mall will have 44 new stores. For full listings of the new stores, click here.

Also, with there are some specials at the moment from the new stores at Loop Mall. Check it out here.

Celebrity Metcard

2007-10-26T18:31:00.000+10:00

Well still on the subject of public transport. Metlink Melbourne has released celebrity metcards. What is it ? Well, it's a normal metcard but instead of the boring blue design you get the design of 10 celebrities. Some of the celebrities are Dannii Minogue, Michael Klim, Livinia Nixon and Lord Mayor John So (I don't know why the Mayor is here and why he's a celebrity but never mind).

Anyway, you can get them at the online store now and at retails outlets from the 4th of November. However, you've got to hurry because currently Kate Ceberano design has sold out.

Get more info here.

Here are the designs:

Free Travel for Early Bird

2007-10-26T18:19:00.001+10:00

Remember when the Premier of Victoria promised free travel on trains before 7am, well the details have been finalised and it will start next Monday, 29th of October.

The two lines participating are Sydenham and Frankston lines.

There are 5 services on each line that qualify for the free travel. The tickets (10 x 2 hour free) are available now and it's free. It can be collected at premium stations on both lines and also City Loop stations.

For further details and timetable for each of the services, click here.

$10 off Game Coupon

2007-10-26T16:51:00.000+10:00

If you've been holding out for a sale to buy that particular must-have game then wait no more. Toy's R Us is giving a $10 off for any game any platform (even computer) in-store.

How do you get it ? Simple, just go to this link, print it off and bring it into the store.

Conditions:

One coupon per customer
Ends Monday 29th October 2007
Video Game or Computer Software must be more than $25

A Few Tech Update

2007-10-23T10:54:00.001+10:00

Well, I haven't updated the blog in a couple of days and a lot of things has happened in the tech world. Here is some of the highlights.

JB Hi-Fi to sell HD-DVD
JB Hi-Fi didn't want to sell HD-DVD a few months back (9 months ago to be exact), pledging its support behind Blu-Ray. This changed recently. They will start stocking HD-DVD titles and players effective immediately. The Paramount decision to go HD-DVD exclusive was what persuade JB to stock both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD.

I guess at the end of the day it's about sales. With Paramount decision to go HD-DVD means that titles like Transformers (HD-DVD) won't be stocked at JB and this will definitely hurt their sales. So I guess the battle between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD is still on.

Nokia N-Series to get Free Wi-Fi
If you own a Nokia N-series, here is some good news. Nokia has partnered with Azure Wireless here in Australia to enable N-series users to get free internet access. The agreement goes until January next year (1 October 2007 to 31 January 2008).

The phones that are able to take advantage of this offer is as follow: N73, N76, N80, N91 8GB, N93i and N95. Upcoming models, N81 and N95 8GB will also be supported.

For the hotspots, there are quite a lot. For a full list click here, it is mainly in serviced apartments, cafe, shopping centre, and so on.

iTunes Price Drop
Apple has put down the price of the DRM-less songs at the iTunes Music Store. Originally, you need to pay a premium to get a DRM-less track at $2.19 but now it is only $1.69. This makes the DRM-less track to have the same price with other tracks (with DRM and lower quality).

If this sounds like a lot of 'geek talk', I apologise but basically in English it means that all iTunes tracks will be $1.69, even the songs with higher quality and the capability of being played not only on an iPod but any other player (Creative Zen, Sony Walkman, your mobile phone and so on).

Sony PS3 40GB also in US
It was announced as well that the US will be getting the PS3 40GB version. The US will get it on the 2nd of November before the Japan (and Asia) release but after Europe (and Australia). The PS3 40GB version will retail at US$399 and comes with a Spiderman 3 Blu-Ray. The 80GB version will come down in price to US$499 (US$100 cheaper than before) and it comes with a game, Motorstorm. There is no mention whether the US will be getting the white coloured PS3.

The End for Ben Cousins

2007-10-17T18:44:00.001+10:00

Today is the end of Ben Cousins' career. He has been sacked by his football club, West Coast Eagles, after his incident with the police yesterday. He was caught by the police with "possessing a prohibited drug and failing to comply with a requirement to undergo a driver assessment". He has since been released on bail and due to face Perth court soon.

I think this is such a shame. He was a wonderful and fantastic footy player but his drug addiction brought him to his fall. He was given more than a second chance but he couldn't care less. Even the rehab that he attended a few months back couldn't save him. He was a Brownlow medalist and a captain of West Coast and soon to be nobody courtesy of drugs.

picture from theage.com.au

Jetstar and VirginBlue Sale

2007-10-17T11:03:00.000+10:00

Jetstar and Virgin Blue are having a domestic sale right now. Fares start from $36. Travel period is next year.

For Jetstar, the travel periods are from

15 January to 18 March 2008
29 March to 25 June 2008
22 July to 31 August 2008 (selected destinations)

Sale ends 22nd of October for Jetstar. More info click here.

Virgin Blue's travel periods are from

15 January to 15 March 2008
29 April to 26 June 2008.

Sale ends 25th of October for Virgin Blue. More info click here.

Note that Jetstar is also having an international sale as well.

Leopard Out 26 Oct

2007-10-17T10:18:00.001+10:00

The major upgrade for your Mac is coming. It is Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. After being much delayed (because of the release of iPhone), it will now be available from October 26. Pre-order is accepted now at the Apple Store for a free delivery on the launch day.

Apple claims that this new OS have 300+ new features. Time machine (files restoration) and Bootcamp (run Windows on Mac) are an example of the completely new features in the new OS.

Here are the Australian pricing for the OS:

Th HD War

2007-10-15T11:23:00.000+10:00

The fight to claim position as the next big thing in media storage and high definition just got a lot hotter in Australia. The players for both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD has gotten a price reduction.

Blu-Ray is probably very excited with the new low price for Playstation 3. It dropped $400 so people can now get a next-gen gaming machine and a Blu-Ray player for $699.

The HD-DVD camp is seeing some price reduction as well. Toshiba just offered some cashback incentives for its players and also reduce its recommended retail price. The entry player for HD-DVD can be grabbed for $499.

This is new price list for Toshiba's HD-DVD players:

HD-E1: $499 (after $100 cashback)
HD-EP10: $699 (after $100 cashback)
HD-XE1: $1,299

Election 07

2007-10-15T00:40:00.000+10:00

Australia, the time has come. November 24 will be the day you decide whether you want the old Johny to stay or K-Rudd to take over. Yes, it is election time.

Australian MotoGP

2007-10-12T18:36:00.000+10:00

Australian MotoGP is happening this weekend (12-14 October) at the usual place, Phillip Island and all eyes are on Casey Stoner, the world champion and also the favourite for the race. Today, he has dominated both practice sessions despite falling over his Ducati bike.

General admission to the event costs $40 for today, $60 for tomorrow and $80 for Sunday race. A 3-day pass costs $135. The weather outlook suggest that more showers are coming.

picture from theage.com.au

Apple Store in Sydney

2007-10-11T15:47:00.000+10:00

Details are emerging for the Australian version of Apple Store from council documents. The store is based in Sydney, at corner of King St and George St. The store will have three levels. Based on the documents, the store will likely be unlikely to open until around mid-2008.

This will be the first official store for Apple in Australia. Currently, Apple sells its products from authorised reseller and online store.

The store itself is has a similar design to the New York store, with glass panels 'everywhere' and a suspended Apple logo in the middle.

Employment for the store has been advertised a couple of months back.

picture from theage.com.au

Chris Judd to go Carlton

2007-10-11T13:52:00.000+10:00

After much anticipation and hype, Chris Judd finally is going for Carlton. He's getting a 5-year deal there.

Let's hope with Judd, Carlton will no longer be lingering near the bottom of the ladder. Go Blues.

More on 40GB PS3

2007-10-10T17:45:00.000+10:00

After the announcement of the new PS3 40GB version by Sony Europe and Sony Australia, Sony Japan and Sony Asia have also followed the trend.

They have announced that the new PS3 40GB version will launch on the 11th of November 2007. Unlike Europe and Australia, Japan and Asia will receive 2 colours of the new PS3, clear black and ceramic white, sort of similar to the PSP. The pricing will also be a lot less with Australia, with the retail price just under $400.

(Yes, I know Japan is also Asia but for gaming purposes, they are 2 different regions.)

Also in Japan, they will also launch the new controller, DualShock 3 which basically adds the rumble/vibrate function to the existing controller. It will be sold separately though, retailing at 5500 yen.

Meanwhile in Australia, the boss of Sony Australia has confirmed that the 40GB version will be the ONLY version available in Australia. The current 60GB version will continue to be supplied until it runs out. Check out the interview here.

The new PS3 is a stripped down version of the old one. It has no backward compatibility with PS2/PS1 games, 2 USB ports instead of 4, no memory card reader and no SACD support.

picture from Playstation Japan

Go Green: Eat More Kangaroo ?

2007-10-10T17:35:00.000+10:00

Everybody wants to be green these days, which is good by the way. Anything to help sustain the earth is a good thing.

One way to do this is to eat less meat, beef to be exact. A research in UNSW has found that by cutting beef production 20% is equivalent to reduce 15 million tonnes of methane. Therefore, lowering Australia's greenhouse emissions.

This can be achieved by consuming more kangaroo meat (instead of beef) or by switching to a low-meat diet. It is said that beef production is the biggest contributor to methane emissions which is livestock related.

So what will you eat tonight ?

Melbourne Airport

2007-10-10T15:14:00.000+10:00

Well, it seems like Tullamarine (Melbourne Airport) has been having a few 'parties'. Today, the 'jumbo' plabe, Airbus-A380 landed in Melbourne as a part of a test flight. It arrived around 11am local time, 40 minutes ahead of schedule.

The plane was flying from Dubai. Anyway, the first (commercial) flight as you know will be done late this month by Singapore Airlines. It will be flying from Sydney to Singapore and back. The tickets are auctioned on eBay (by SIA themselves, not scalpers) to raise funds for charity. I am not sure whether there are still tickets. Check here.

More pictures of the A380 in Melbourne here.

Another special event at Melbourne Airport was the opening of its newest terminal, Terminal 4. This happened last Monday. The new terminal is for Tiger Airways, the newest airline to service the Australian domestic market.

As part of the launch, the airline (Tiger) made 15,000 seats available for an exclusive price ($10 to Launceston, $20 to Gold Coast, etc). The deal was snapped up pretty quick and have now sold out.

picture from theage.com.au

ASIMO on Tour

2007-10-08T11:56:00.001+10:00

ASIMO, the Honda robot, will come and tour Australia. I'm not sure whether it will dance or sing or do a back-flip but it would be interesting to see because we always see it on TV and for once we can actually see it for real.

ASIMO's first appearance will be on Wednesday, the 17th of October 2007 at the Chadstone Shopping Centre in Melbourne. It will be there for a few days and each days there are several show times. It will then be followed by tours to Bendigo, Adelaide, Newcastle, Sydney and Brisbane.

The entry is free and if you have a Honda car/motorcycle, you can get a reserved VIP seating. Just make sure you show them your car/bike keys.

Check out the website for further details at www.asimo.com.au.

New PS3 40GB

2007-10-07T10:32:00.000+10:00

It has been confirmed. Sony will launch a new line in their Playstation 3 lineup. PS3 40GB version will be available in Australia from 11th October. The price $699.95, $300 less from the old price model of the 60GB.

The new model will have less features though. For a first, it will not have a backward compatibility with the PS2 titles. It will only have 2 USB ports (instead of the old 4) and no card reader.

To check it out, click here.

Free Jacket for WiiMote

2007-10-02T17:50:00.001+10:00

Just announced. For all Nintendo Wii owners, Nintendo is giving out a free 'jacket' for the WiiMote. This is designed to enhance grip and provide additional security.

You can get the free Wii Remote Jacket from Nintendo Customer Service. They can be contacted at (03) 9730 9822, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (EST). You will need your Wii serial number.

Full details here.

picture from nintendo.com.au

$49 to Perth

2007-10-02T15:52:00.000+10:00

The Age just reported that Jetstar will have a sale tonight only for flight to Perth. The sale is only happening from 6pm until midnight (or until sold out).

The fare will be $49 one way and valid for travel between 15th of November and 15th of December 2007.

Full article here.

OLED is Coming

2007-10-02T02:36:00.000+10:00

As if the battle between LCD and plasma is not confusing enough, Sony is going to bring another technology in display, OLED. It stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode.

The benefit ? It doesn't use a backlight, consume less power and therefore, enables the screen to be super-thin (like really thin). It also has higher contrast than any of the current display.

But perfection does come at a price, a really high one. Sony displayed some of this OLED display earlier this year and the section for OLED is for "look only and strictly no touching". There was no pricing or release details available at that time.

However, things have changed and Sony has just announced that they will start making these little beauties. The release is going to be December this year, just in time for Christmas.

It will retail at 200,000 yen (around about US$1,700) for a 25.1 centimetres wide and 14.1 centimetres tall TV.

If you want to get one, don't worry, there's still a few more months to start saving up. Now, if only I could persuade Sony to send me a demo.

picture from cnet.com.au

Bad News for Headphone Users

2007-10-02T01:21:00.000+10:00

As you might know, listening to headphones for long period of time is not good as it might damage your hearing. However, with the increasing use of MP3 players nowadays, there are more and more people being in danger of losing their hearing.

A research was conducted by Griffith University found that 70% of people under 30s are showing early signs of permanent hearing damage. So by 50, they would experience hearing problem of that a 70 years old.

This is all because they listen to their iPod or music players for too long and too loud. I, myself never turn on up to full volume. I always try to limit myself to around halfway. Not just because I don't want to go deaf but I think it is a good idea to be able to hear your surroundings as well. So, you're not totally 'blinded' from the world.

Here are some interesting sound level facts. Apple iPods, the most popular MP3 device, has a maximum decibel level of 115, gunshot is 120, a jet taking off is 130 and lastly, disco is 105 decibel.

Some experts are now calling for warning labels to be put on MP3 players to show the 'healthy' time to use the device. The research suggest that you shouldn't listen to your music player for too long, 20 minutes is quite long enough.

An interesting and funny comment from the research Professor about teenager: "They're (teenagers) normally designed to think they're invulnerable to things like falling off balconies and loud music."

Cheap Flights

2007-09-28T20:29:00.000+10:00

Air Asia is having a sale for tomorrow and Sunday only. Fare to Kuala Lumpur from Gold Coast is only $99 one way. The travel period is between 2 Nov and 14 Nov 2007.

The flight is still subject to regulatory approval though. Further conditions about the flight can be found here.

This is probably the first route that is announced for Air Asia X, the first low-cost long-haul airline. Air Asia X will fly between South East Asia and Australia, China and Europe. For more info on Air Asia X, click here.

TV Shows

2007-09-28T19:44:00.000+10:00

Well, this year the time we (Australia) watched US drama series will change. Instead of waiting until next year for the new season to start, we get the new episodes a week after it has been shown in the US.

All the US (fall) series has begun this week and we will get to watch them next week. OK, I lied. Not all shows that screened in the US will come back next week. For example, no Grey's Anatomy yet.

Here are some of the new and returning shows next week:

Heroes - Ch 7 - Thu Oct 4 - 9:30pm
Bionic Woman - Ch 7 - Thu Oct 4 - 8:30pm
House - Ch 10 - Wed Oct 3 - 8.30pm

Not a lot but it's better than nothing and if you're still not up to date with the shows, get them on DVD here.

Water Restriction to Stay

2007-09-28T17:52:00.000+10:00

Well, at least this is true for Melbourne. The current stage 3A water restriction will stay on at least until autumn next year. This is despite recent (and current) rain.

But I guess it's a good thing. Water restriction makes people water-wise, without it people will go crazy and continue to use it thinking that it's unlimited.

Bikini Troops

2007-09-28T00:12:00.000+10:00

What do you get when you gather 1000 over girls wearing just bikini? The answer is a world record. Yesterday, 1010 girls gather at Bondi beach with just a bikini to break the world record for the largest swimsuit photo shoot ever.

The attempt was a success, they got a spot in the Guinness World Records. It will be included with the book next year.

The shoot itself was sponsored by Cosmopolitan magazine (and a razor company). At one point, the girls were asked to line up to make the letter C, O, S, M, O and be photographed from the sky.

The shoot will be reported in the January issue of Cosmo which sells around December.

I was just thinking, we should do it in Melbourne as well. I wonder if Melbourne can beat the record.

pictures from heraldsun.com.au, cosmopolitan.com.au

Foxtel Price Increase

2007-09-27T10:34:00.000+10:00

Although I haven't actually got the news from Foxtel, I have seen reports that there will be an increase in the subscription price from 1st of December 2007.

The price increase for the channel groups:

Get Started - $37.95
My Sport - $17.95
My Movies - $15.95 (no change)
My Complete Movies - $28.95
1 of My Escape or My World or My Playtime - $16.95
2 of My Escape or My World or My Playtime - $22.95
3 of My Escape or My World or My Playtime - $25.95
Platinum - $105.95

Individual channels:

RAI - $19.95
Antenna - $19.95
Adults 1 - $24.95
Adults 2 - $34.95
Games World - $6.95

The price increase will see the Lifestyle channel be included in the Get Started package from December 1st.

There will also be a new channel called Showcase that will show Emmy award-winning dramas, feature documentaries and also Australian exclusive drama. The channel will be included with My Movies package for no extra cost.

Melbourne Cup Threatened

2007-09-26T23:11:00.000+10:00

Melbourne Cup this year might not go ahead because of the recent cases of horse influenza. Australia has experienced a bad case of horse flu especially in the state of New South Wales and Queensland. The flu has cancelled many races all around the country devastating horses owners, jockeys, and so on.

Anyway, that is not my point. Yes, there is a possibility that Melbourne Cup might not go ahead (depending how bad the flu spread across Victoria) but the sad news is that the holiday might disappear as well. Victorian Premier, John Brumby, just mentioned that he cannot promise a holiday for the Melbourne Cup if the race does not go on.

This is bad. Australia has only so few holidays as it is. Removing one would be disastrous. So I'd say Mr. Brumby, let us have our holiday, our Melbourne Cup holiday. It's only one day for goodness sake.

Another JT Show

2007-09-26T11:47:00.000+10:00

Justin Timberlake has just added another show in Melbourne for the 18th of November and tickets are on sale now. Go to Ticketek now. At the time of writing only the Sexyback Lounge has sold out.

Brownlow Winner 2007

2007-09-25T10:33:00.001+10:00

The award for best and fairest player in footy, the Brownlow medal, has been awarded to Jimmy Bartel from the Geelong Cats. This is definitely good news for the Cats ahead of their grand final match this weekend.

Bartel won with 29 votes. Gary Ablett who was a fellow teammate and favourite for the medal had 20 points.

The other interesting thing about Brownlow (besides the medal) is the fashion of the player's girlfriend or partner. The night is as important for the partner and/or girlfriend as it is for the player. I guess it is always an interesting one to see what the women wear. The guys will always have a suit on and tie, pretty boring.

Rebecca Twigley made headlines a couple of years ago (2004) when she went to the Brownlow with that red dress dubbed the dress that stopped the nation (left). This year, she took a more conservative look (right).

Bree Hately had one of the most stunning dress for the night.

I would say that the overall fashion for the Brownlow was great. There was a few shocking ones but I think everybody played it safe last night.

Ok, enough of dresses, back to football. The Grand Final will be happening this Saturday 29th September 2007, 2.30pm between the Geelong and Port Adelaide at the MCG. So, stay tuned.

picture from theage.com.au, heraldsun.com.au

And it's Orange

2007-09-24T18:04:00.000+10:00

Yes, Orange is the partner that will bring the iPhone to France. The announcement was made last week. The odd thing was that the announcement was not made by Steve Jobs unlike Germany and UK. It was Orange CEO that broke the news.

Details and pricing info are still fuzzy at this point but it will be for November release just like the other countries.

Geelong to Grand Final

2007-09-21T23:13:00.000+10:00

Next week is the Grand Final, the one day in September that everyone has been waiting for. Geelong, tonight, is the first team to advance to the Grand Final. The second team will be decided tomorrow.

Geelong won by 5 points from Collingwood in front of 98,002 people in MCG.

picture from theage.com.au

Entertainment Update

2007-09-20T12:47:00.000+10:00

Along with spring comes 'cleaning', an update in your life. Well, I think your entertainment collection would also need to be refreshed this spring. Here are some releases that are worth mentioning.

Music (Australia)
This spring it seems like all Aussie artists are releasing their new album and they all have excellent songs. Shannon Noll did his album in the US with the help of some famous musician, Richie Sambora to name one. Delta Goodrem is back and in the country with her new 'sexy' look. Veronicas, the twins, are releasing a totally different music from their 1st album. Rogue Traders will also release their new album next month.

Delta Goodrem (single - out now) (album - 22 Oct)
Shannon Noll (album - out now)
Veronicas (single - 25 Sep) (album - 3 Nov)
Vanessa Amorosi (single - out now) (album - 15 Oct)
Ben Lee (album - out now)
Ricki Lee (single - out now) (album - out now)
Damien Leith (single - out now) (album - out now)

Music (International)
You can never get enough of international music talent. Here are some that is worth checking out.

DVD
There is just so many great releases on DVD, especially TV on DVD. The blockbuster Spiderman 3 is also out, so you can relive the adventure of Peter Parker and Mary Jane.

Games
New release games that will keep you busy this school holiday (it will still keep you busy even if you don't have a holiday).

Halo 3 (25 Sep) - XBOX360
Bioshock - XBOX360

For more entertainment needs, go to BigWEntertainment.com.au.

iPhone in Germany

2007-09-20T10:48:00.001+10:00

Steve Jobs (Apple's CEO) apparently is on a roll, bringing Christmas present early for the European countries. After the announcement for a UK iPhone, yesterday he announced the availability of a German iPhone.

The German partner/carrier is T-mobile and the phone will retail at €399. It will be available on November 9, the same time with the UK release.

The rumour is that tomorrow/today, Jobs will announce an iPhone in France. Stay tuned. Let's hope for a local (Australia) release soon.

picture from Apple Germany

More Justin Shows

2007-09-20T10:17:00.001+10:00

All the fans of JT (Justin Timberlake) that missed out on the previous concerts, here is something just for you. JT is going to add a few more concerts at Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland (NZ).

Here are the new dates and location,

Saturday 10 November - Perth - Burswood Dome
Tuesday 13 November - Sydney - Acer Arena
Saturday 17 November - Melbourne - Rod Laver Arena

Tickets will be sold through Ticketek and will start at Wednesday 26 September 9:00am. The normal restriction apply, you can only get a maximum of 2 Sexyback Lounge tickets or 4 Gold/Silver tickets in one transaction.

For Auckland, the dates have been changed and another show is added, for further details click here.

Further information can be obtained from Frontier touring.

So, this time make sure you start queuing up the day before, trust me. Because if this all went like the ones before, everything will be sold out in 15 minutes. Be prepared.

iPhone in the UK

2007-09-19T11:01:00.000+10:00

Steve Jobs (Apple's CEO) has launched the first release of iPhone outside the US. At a special media event held yesterday in London, he announced that the iPhone will be available from November 9 in the UK.

The exclusive carrier this time is O2. The phone will be the same model as the one released in the US, 8GB (so no 3G). The price will be £269 (including VAT) for the phone.

From the carrier point of view, there are 3 plans (£35, £45, £55) all with unlimited data. The contract is 18 months. Apple and O2 has also made arrangement with The Cloud so that customers can use their free Wi-Fi spot (about 7500 locations).

For further details check Apple's website or O2's website.

In other news (but still relates to Apple), Microsoft has launched the website for the new and upcoming Office Mac 2008. Check it out at http://www.macoffice2008.com/

picture from O2 website

Free Train Ride in Melbourne

2007-09-18T11:25:00.000+10:00

This is breaking news. From October (date to be determined), Victorians will be able to travel free on trains provided they do it before 7am. It will be first trialled at 2 (busiest) train lines, Sydenham and Frankston Line. If it is successful then it will be applied to whole of Melbourne next year.

To get the free ride, commuter must get a special 10 x 2-hour ticket which is only valid for mornings. Only trains that reach the city before 7am qualifies (apparently there are 5 services that qualifies).

Note though the free ride is only for mornings, so if you want to return in the evening after work with a train then you must get another card, possibly the 10 x 2-hour ticket.

More TV channels

2007-09-17T17:59:00.000+10:00

The next big thing in digital free-to-air TV will be coming in a few months with the introduction of high definition TV channels by both Channel 7 and Ten.

If you don't already know, the analog TV (current one) will be switched off by the government sometime between 2010 and 2012. So if you have an old TV, you won't be able to watch anything unless you get a set-top box (or buy a new TV with an in-built digital tuner)

The channels are being planned to be released on December. Currently if you have a digital TV, you will get a few extra channels, ABC 2 and SBS News are the main ones. There is also digital radio broadcast from SBS and ABC. On top of that, you will also have the EPG (Electronic Program Guide) for all the commercial channel (7, 9 and Ten). This vary with regions, so to check which channels are available to you, click here.

The content of the new channels are still vague at the moment so I guess we will need to wait a little bit more. The channel from Ten will be called TEN HD.

Road Trip Mania

2007-09-17T11:14:00.000+10:00

Ok, we all love a road trip once in a while. How about this, a road trip from London to Sydney ? Yes ? The trip will take 3 months to complete and costs more than AU$9000. The company OzBus is doing just that.

They are doing a tour from London to Sydney by bus, passing around 20 countries. These are the countries that they will be passing: ENGLAND - FRANCE - GERMANY - CZECH REPUBLIC - AUSTRIA - HUNGARY - ROMANIA - BULGARIA - TURKEY - IRAN - PAKISTAN - INDIA - NEPAL - CHINA - LAOS - THAILAND - MALAYSIA - INDONESIA - EAST TIMOR - AUSTRALIA

The first bus just depart yesterday and the next one is due later this month. Bus route is subject to change though depending of the countries threat level.

There is also a return trip (from Sydney to London).

To get more info about the itinerary or if you want to jump into the next bus, go to the website here.

Chadstone Spring Event

2007-09-14T17:53:00.001+10:00

For Melbournians, Chadstone shopping centre is running their regular VIP shopping event this Wednesday, 19th of September 2007.

As usual, there will be specials from all the retailers there. The specials will be available from 9am to 11pm so it is really shop 'til you drop. For a full list of the offers, click here (pdf file).

Some of the events that is happening on the day (from Chadstone's website):

Enjoy a glass of Yellowglen Jewel Sparkling wine or Perrier Water from 5.30pm
Special exclusive retailer offers of up to 50% OFF
Runway Show #1, 7pm outside David Jones: The A List - featuring the most revered local and international designers Spring /Summer collections
Runway Show #2, 8pm outside David Jones: Youth - showcasing the hottest designs for summer and beyond
Heat one of the Melbourne Racing Club 'Fashion Stakes'
Chance to win "12 Months of Glamour" - sunglasses to the value of $4,800 thanks to OPSM
Chadstone FREE Shuttle Bus

The shopping 'bonanza' is only happening on Wednesday but the Spring event actually last until end of the week, from 19th until the 23th of September. Daily attractions include:

Free hair styling at the Joh Bailey Blow Dry Bar
Free mini makeovers and giveaways by Max Factor
Free millinery presentations with different presenters daily

For a full details of the event, refer to the event's website.

So get your shopping gear ready, don't forget your wallet (make sure it's got money in it) and get ready to 'attack'.

Lonely People Die Young

2007-09-14T16:56:00.000+10:00

This is one alarming fact. Today, US researchers have found that being lonely might cost you your health and lessen your life. It has something to do with the gene going crazy.

Read the full article here.

This proves us, humans, as social creatures. I don't think anybody wants to be lonely no matter what. People who say they can live alone is hiding from the truth.

Danger of Melanoma

2007-09-13T10:57:00.001+10:00

You might not know this girl. Her name is Clare Oliver. She was 26. A couple of weeks ago, a newspaper ran a story about her and her fight with skin cancer. She said that she had only days or weeks to live but she would like to spend the last of her days campaigning and making people aware of the danger of skin cancer and solarium.

Clare Oliver passed away this morning, losing her fight with the cancer. I would like to send my deepest condolences to her family.

Her story was a sad but it shows how the reality is at the momen. She frequently visit the solarium when she was young even though she knew the danger of UV lights. She got caught in "buy 10 sessions get 20" marketing. In the end, she was diagnosed with melanoma (a dangerous form of skin cancer) and that the cancer has spread to all over her.

Her message was simple, "is your tan worth dying ?". Because of her article, in Victoria, the health minister has reacted and promised some new regulations for solarium. Tighter control with age check and parental consent will be introduced.

To read her original article that she wrote for Herald Sun, click here. I encourage you to read her story and share it with you family and friends.

Finally, I would like to say thank you Clare for sharing your story and may you rest in peace.

picture from heraldsun.com.au

Whirlpool Sued

2007-09-12T15:52:00.000+10:00

Whirlpool, an Australian broadband community website, has been sued by 2Clix, an accounting software publisher. The firm is seeking damages of $150,000 per month and the permanent removal of 2 threads in Whirlpool's forum.

Whirlpool is a well known website in Australia. It provides a range of information about broadband news, providers and their plans. It also has one of the largest discussion forum with regards to broadband in general. The forum has more than 180,000 members although the list has grown rapidly ever since the news broke.

The firm is suing because Whirlpool failed to close down 2 threads in its forum. The threads contains suggestion by people (users) to not use the software from 2Clix because it was unsatisfactory. 2Clix claims that this 2 threads have made them to lose customers and therefore they are seeking damages.

The statement of claim can be read here, as posted on Whirlpool's website.

Whirlpool has already said that they will fight the charges even though they are a community website with little resources. Support has been coming in from all Whirlpool members, some even started donating to help Whirlpool's legal cost.

The news has started to receive coverage from major Australian newspaper and internet websites, making it a headline. To read the articles, click here (news.com.au) and here (smh/the age.com.au).

No Free HD-DVD in Australia

2007-09-12T01:19:00.000+10:00

Well, this is just not fair. In the UK, Matrix fans were rejoicing because they got a free present when purchasing the Matrix Trilogy in HD-DVD. The gift was a brand new HD-DVD player. Yes, a free high-definition player for 60 pounds (around $150) and don't forget you get the Matrix Trilogy as well. The player was a Toshiba HD-E1 which is valued at about $800.

This is definitely an excellent idea of promoting the new HD-DVD format. Remember that Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are still fighting for a pole position in the market of next-gen format. Blu-Ray seems to be taking the lead with the help of PS3. Blockbuster will only rent Blu-Ray movies. In Australia, music giant JB Hi-Fi announced that it will only sell Blu-Ray movies as well.

However, HD-DVD still is going strong. Paramount recently announced that they have chosen to side with HD-DVD. They were publishing movies in both formats before but not anymore. This means blockbuster movies such as Transformers will only be available in HD-DVD.

Actually, I don't mind if the two formats co-exist together as long as movies are not published both formats. Each movie should only be published in one format, either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray. Having 2 different players is fine, just get a PS3 and Xbox 360 (with the extra HD-DVD player) or just wait a little longer for a hybrid player that can play both formats.

Anyway, back to the Matrix. The movie is planned to be released next year in Australia (in HD-DVD) but there is no plans to distribute a free HD-DVD player with it or running a similar promotion. I guess we can only wait and see. In the mean time, if you want to check out the photos for the UK Matrix event, click here.

Britney Oh Britney

2007-09-11T16:47:00.000+10:00

As we all know, Britney made a debut comeback yesterday at the MTV Video Music Awards. She just released a new song, Gimme More, and was performing it on the show. It was the opening act apparently and her performance left everybody (and I mean everybody) talking.

The Performance
Well, I will have to agree with most people here. Her performance was really bad. It was not Britney at all. She always give good performance, great dance. It is not the case this time. She lip-synched the whole song and did not perform a great dance at all.

This is disappointing for Britney cause this is suppose to be her comeback to music after all her problems. In some of her dance moves, you could see her waiting for something to happen or someone to catch her. It is like she is thinking about the dance steps in her head, afraid to forget some moves. It does not look natural at all which is a shame for Britney who, I think, has great dance in her video clips.

The Outfit
This is another thing that I don't understand. She was barely wearing anything. It was a disaster. I don't believe it was sexy at all (if that's the look she was aiming for). She could easily be sexier wearing the costume that the female dancers wore.

I am not going to comment anything about Britney's body. There's a whole debate going on at the moment about her body, read the article here. All I will say is that she would be better off with another costume instead of wearing just bra and briefs.

The Song
I heard the song before and I quite like it. I always think that Britney has a great voice and that she is so lucky to have it. The song itself was great, upbeat and sexy. But it seems like whoever wrote the song didn't have any other line for Britney besides "Gimme Gimme". The "Gimme Gimme" seems to be repeated way too many times but other than that I think the music is fantastic.

If you want to watch her performance, do a search. It is not that hard to find since everybody seems to be bragging about her.

picture from heraldsun.com.au

New Indiana Jones

2007-09-10T17:20:00.000+10:00

The title for the upcoming new Indiana Jones movie has been released. It will be called, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

This continue the trend of old actors trying to be young again after the release of Rocky, Die Hard 4.0, and soon to be released Rambo.

New iPods - Out Now

2007-09-06T09:39:00.000+10:00

Apple has launched the new line of iPods, as previously speculated. As a summary, the big launch is the release of a new iPod Nano and iPod Touch. Other iPods received new look, bigger capacity and new colours. Shop Now

Another thing is the availability of iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store and Apple's partnership with Starbucks. This last one is probably only for the US market at the moment.

Also for the US market, the iPhone 4GB will be discontinued and the 8GB has been given a price cut of US$200, which made some people unhappy (those bought the phone earlier). A ring tone service for the iPhone was announced as well (not important cause we can't buy the iPhone just yet).

iPod Shuffle
Everything is still the same but with new colours and a Product(RED) addition. No more orange in this release. Shop Now

iPod Nano
Total revamp of the product. It's now smaller, able to play videos, games. Basically it's a mini version of the old iPod. There are new colours as well. As the old Nano, the lowest capacity model (4GB) will only be available with silver and the 8GB will be available in more colour choices. Shop Now

iPod Classic
Apple decided to make the original iPod a name, iPod Classic. It's got a metal casing now instead of the old black and white, and bigger capacity, 80GB and 160GB. I just can't imagine whether somebody needs that much space cause 160GB is equivalent to about 40,000 songs. Shop Now

iPod Touch
A stripped down version of iPhone. Basically, it is an iPhone without the phone capabilities. It's got wi-fi, safari (internet browser), youtube access, videos and it plays music. The navigation seems to be the same with iPhone. I guess this is to fill the gaps for people who wants the iPhone but not in the US. Shop Now

Price List
Here is the price list for the Australian market

iPod Shuffle - $99
iPod Nano 4GB - $199
iPod Nano 8GB - $279
iPod Classic 80GB - $349
iPod Classic 160GB - $479
iPod Touch 8GB - $419
iPod Touch 16GB - $549

Some of them are available now, except the iPod Touch that will be available end of September (28th). Click here to shop the Apple Store.

If you want to know more, cnet.com.au has posted reviews for the new iPods.

pictures from macworld.com, cnet.com.au, arstechnica.com

KTM what ?

2007-09-05T17:53:00.000+10:00

Ever feel like driving one of those futuristic cars, the one that looks like a Bat-car. Well, you might not have to wait that long. KTM, a European motorcycle manufacturer, is going to launch its first ever automobile and damn, it looks HOT. Check out the pictures below,

what a beauty

and again from the side

The name is KTM X-BOW and they are planning to bring it in Australia next year around May. The price point is estimated to be between 80,000 to 90,000 which is (I think) about the same price with a BMW Z4.

It is rear-wheel-drive and powered by Audi's engine (turbocharged direct injection 2 litre four-cylinder petrol engine). This can produce 162kW of power. It has a six-speed gearbox and can do 0-100km/h in 3.9sec.

But, you've got to buy it online instead of getting it from a dealership so no test-drive. Another thing to note, the car has no roof, doors, boot or windscreen. So, a helmet is a must. It also doesn't have a luggage compartment. Well, I think it is basically a motorcycle that looks like a car. I'm not sure whether they will let you go without a helmet. But, the car sure looks good.

Further info, pictures and 360 degrees view can be obtained from their website.

pictures from netrider.net.au

New iPod ?

2007-09-05T10:47:00.000+10:00

In just a few hours, Apple will host a media event in the US and everyone is EXCITED. Well, maybe not everyone but for the die-hard fans of Apple and all the geeks, this will be like a new year's eve. They will celebrate and have their own special party.

Why ? It's because the event is heavily rumoured to be releasing a brand new line-up for iPods. Earlier this year, people were expecting Apple to launch the next generation iPod which was rumoured to have touch screen, etc. But Steve Jobs (Apple's CEO) gave them a phone, an iPhone.

Recently, the iMac line-up was updated with a new sleek brushed aluminum look and a brand new keyboard design. A couple of software was updated as well. This includes iWork 08 and iLife 08.

But this time, it looks like the iPod will get the special treatment. There are several rumours going on about the "new iPod". One claims that it will have wireless, another said that it will be have a "touch" function similar to iPhone but without the phone capabilities and so on. The rumours are endless. But I guess this is what makes it exciting.

It is just amazing the amount of attention Apple get when they are rumoured to launch a new product. I read this article once titled, "Why does no one care if the Dell store go down", which is true. Because when the Apple store go down, everybody will start saying a new update is coming or start their own little conspiracy theory and sometimes this can impact on the value of Apple stock. How cool is that ?

Anyway, we can only wait and see what is the next installment in this Apple saga. Some websites will provide live coverage of the event to update the die-hard fans. So, bring it on. Apple, I'm excited.

In the meantime, check out the Apple Store for their current products.

Melb. Central Shopping Evening

2007-09-04T14:14:00.000+10:00

Melbourne Central will be having a shopping/fashion evening on Wednesday. It is part of the Fashion Week that is currently happening in Melbourne.

Most stores will have a special on the night. Some of the offers include:

Alannah Hill - 20% off storewide
Armani Exchange - 20% off full priced stock
Borders - 15% off storewide (conditions apply)
Country Road - 15% off full priced stock
CK Jeans - 20% off full priced stock
Cotton On - 30% off full priced stock
Cue - 15% off full priced stock
DeCjuba - 30% off full priced stock (conditions apply)
Midas - 20% off storewide (conditions apply)
Miss Sixty - 20% off all Miss Sixty and Energie stock
Morrissey - 20% off storewide
Oroton - 10% off storewide
Saba - 20% off full priced stocki
Steve Madden - 20% off storewide

For a full list of specials, click here to download the flyer (pdf). It is all happening tomorrow from 5-9pm.

Tulip Festival

2007-08-24T22:13:00.000+10:00

Ahhh...spring is nearly here. Melbourne always come alive in spring, I think there's something about the weather and sun. People will start wearing colourful clothes, leaving their black and grey jacket at home. There's always so much to do during spring and one of them is the annual Tesselaar Tulip Festival.

This year the festival is going to be open from September 13 until the 10th of October. The location is at Silvan, around 30-40 minutes drive from Melbourne CBD. For the Melway enthusiast, it's at 125 B5.

I went to the one last year and I got to say it's quite gorgeous (if you like flowers). It is even better if you go there with your loved ones. You could get tulip seeds, Dutch craft, Dutch pancake and so much more. There's tour around the 'garden' with a horse and everybody is wearing the Dutch costumes just to give it that Dutch feeling. Just a small tip, don't go to early cause the flowers might not be 'ready' yet.

There's all kinds of activities and entertainment everyday. But there is also special themes days, such as Turkish, Dutch and Irish weekend, Opera in the Tulips, Seniors day, and so on.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for concessions. Children under 16 can enter free if accompanied by parents. However, if you want to save, get 10 or more people together and get a group rate. But you need to PRE-BOOK it online, by phone or mail order. The group rate is $10 per person.

For more information on programmes, bookings and everything else, check out their website at www.tulipfestival.com.au.

picture from www.tulipfestival.com.au

A380 Makes a Move

2007-08-23T16:48:00.000+10:00

Everybody knows about the new mega-jumbo plane from Airbus. the Airbus-A380. One word can describe the plane, it is MASSIVE. Even Singapore needs to make another terminal to accommodate the new plane.

If you don't know what I am talking about then you should Google "A380" and you'll find a lot more info about the plane. If you want to check the Wikipedia entry, click here.

There has been a delay in the production of the planes. This made a bit of a trouble for Airbus cause some of the airlines was suing for compensation of the delay. Anyway, the plane is highly anticipated all around the world. A lot of airlines have ordered them to add to their fleet. I believe the airline with the most order is Emirates and Singapore Air is second.

However, the first airline that will fly the plane for public (commercial) is going to be Singapore Airlines aka SIA aka SQ. The plane's first commercial flight will be taking off from Sydney to Singapore in 63 days and you can get in this first flight if you want to because the tickets/seats will be auctioned on eBay, how convenient. For ticket scalpers, you don't have to do any work, SQ has done it all for you. Of course, the purpose of the auction is not income revenue but charity and maybe a bit of media frenzy.

The auction starts in a couple more days, 27th of August 2007 to be exact. The A380 will be flying from Sydney to Singapore on the 25th of October and returning to Sydney the next day. Each journey will be auctioned separately, in other words if you are planning to come back to Sydney, you will need to bid on the other journey.

All 3 classes (new economy, new business and suites) will be available for auction. You can also bid on multiple tickets as a package. To check out the packages, click here. Because the auction is via eBay, you will need an eBay account to participate in the whole bidding process.

If you don't like the auction process, guaranteed seats will be available (I think it's like a Buy It Now kind of thing) but it does come with a premium charge as well.

At this stage, there is no information about the pricing details or how much the auction is going to start. But the FAQ of the auction can be accessed here.

To get more info about this event/auction, click here.

picture from SIA website

New Season on DVD

2007-08-20T18:35:00.000+10:00

It's that time of the year again. No, it's not Christmas. It's the end of season for most of the TV series and the time to re-enjoy it at your own pace with DVD boxset release.

I'm quite excited for this season cause I did not watch any of my favourite shows at all. I want to wait until the whole season is complete and I can watch it in one go, especially with 24. That is a show that cannot be interrupted. So if you are waiting on the new season on the DVDs, here are the release dates:

Heroes Season 1: 5 Sep 2007
24 Season 6: 19 Sep 2007
Prison Break Season 2: 19 Sep 2007
House Season 3: 19 Sep 2007
Supernatural Season 2: 3 Oct 2007
Ugly Betty Season 1: 31 Oct 2007
Grey's Anatomy Season 3: 31 Oct 2007

Dates are for Australian releases.

A Gift From The Sea

2007-08-08T14:12:00.000+10:00

There is message in a bottle, and there is LEGO. Confused ? Well you should be. A giant LEGO has been found on a popular beach resort in Dutch. The size you ask ? Have a look at the photo

It's about 2.5 m tall. It was floating in the sea and a stall worker decided to take it out. It was then placed in front of the drinking stall. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility and yes, the hair/hat/top part is still not found.

picture from The Age

No Jaywalking

2007-08-07T17:16:00.000+10:00

OK, never jaywalk. Jaywalking is dangerous, everybody knows that.

As an 'incentive' to not jaywalk, this week in Melbourne police are going to patrol the city for jaywalkers. If caught, you can be given a warning or even a fine. I think the fine is $55. So, look where you're going and if the light is red, STOP. Simple.