Sense of Rumor

Safari 4: Beats the Speed King

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:21:00 +0000

The web browser war is not over yet. Recently released Apple’s Safari 4 Beta becomes the front runner on term of browsing speed. According to a benchmark Safari 4 beats Google Chrome and Mozilla’s developmental Minefield 3.2a1 and the rest of the browsers claiming today’s fastest browser. The benchmark was conducted by CNET UK’s Crave. They use a PC running Windows XP SP2 and a Mac running OSX 10.6. I tried it myself to experience this claim. My PC is running XP SP2. At first you will notice that the interface is familiar and you will think that it looks like Google Chrome. I did not notice the difference of speed among Chrome and Safari 4 Beta. All I can say that it is much faster than Firefox 3 and the sluggish Microsoft IE 7.

PC running Windows XP SP2

For the full detail of the test click here.

To download Safari 4 click here.

Super Portable MSI X-Slim Series

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:59:00 +0000

MSI X-Slim

MSI newly released notebook just arrived. This Apple Mac Air look alike will surely make its own mark in the market. MSI X-Slim Series X320 is a super portable notebook is equipped with latest Intel platform (Intel Atom) and with 13.4” display with optimized 16:9 screen. X320 is very thin with an overall thickness of 1.98cm. The display screen thickness is only 6mm. Due to the thinness of X320 it roughly weights 1.32kg. The default battery is 4 cell but MSI also offer extended battery life last up to 10 hours.

Variants of the MSI X-Slim Series include X340 which is smaller in size and while X600 is will be having a 15.6” display. It will directly compete with Apple’s Mac Air. Prices vary on the specs of the laptop. But X320 is priced $700 - $1,000. If you think that Mac Air costs too much then MSI X-Slim is a better choice.

Get Ubuntu Installer CD for Free

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 04:12:00 +0000

My fresh Ubuntu 8.10 CD

Want a Linux OS on your system? Then check out Ubuntu OS. Ubuntu is an operating system consisting of free and open source software. This is a great Windows alternative. You can install it on via clean install and the good news it you can install it inside your current Windows OS. You can also try and experience Ubuntu without installation using the CD installer. Ubuntu is a free Linux OS that is available for download but you can also request for a free CD if you have slow internet connection. Requesting a CD is absolutely free you just have to register to Ubuntu.com. You have to choose whether you want the Desktop edition or the Server edition. Shipping will take 4-6 weeks. I received my Ubuntu installer in less than a month. I requested the CD last January 27, 2009 and I receive it today, February 24, 2009.

81st Academy Awards: And The Winners are...

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 05:29:00 +0000

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR

Winner: Slumdog Millionaire

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Winner: Sean Penn for Milk

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Winner: Kate Winslet for The Reader

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

Winner: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Winner: Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Winner: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR

Winner: Okuribito (Japan)

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES, ORIGINAL SONG

Winner: Slumdog Millionaire - A.R. Rahman, Sampooran Singh Gulzar("Jai Ho")

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES, ORIGINAL SCORE

Winner: Slumdog Millionaire - A.R. Rahman

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING

Winner: Slumdog Millionaire - Chris Dickens

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND

Winner: Slumdog Millionaire - Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING

Winner: The Dark Knight - Richard King

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS

Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Barba, Steve Preeg,Burt Dalton, Craig Barron

BEST DOCUMENTARY, SHORT SUBJECTS

Winner: Smile Pinki - Megan Mylan

BEST DOCUMENTARY, FEATURES

Winner: Man on Wire - James Marsh, Simon Chinn

BEST SHORT FILM, LIVE ACTION

Winner: Spielzeugland - Jochen Alexander Freydank

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

Winner: Slumdog Millionaire - Anthony Dod Mantle

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP

Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Greg Cannom

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN

Winner: The Duchess - Michael O'Connor

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION

Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo

BEST SHORT FILM, ANIMATED

Winner: Maison en petits cubes, La - Kunio Katô

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR

Winner: WALL·E - Andrew Stanton

BEST WRITING, SCREENPLAY BASED ON MATERIAL PREVIOUSLY PRODUCED OR PUBLISHED

Winner: Slumdog Millionaire - Simon Beaufoy

BEST WRITING, SCREENPLAY WRITTEN DIRECTLY FOR THE SCREEN

Winner: Milk - Dustin Lance Black

81st Academy Awards: The Nominees are...

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:31:00 +0000

The Nominees are:

Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor
Richard Jenkins in The Visitor
Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn in Milk
Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin in Milk
Robert Downey Jr in Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt
Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road

Best Actress
Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie in Changeling
Melissa Leo in Frozen River
Meryl Streep in Doubt
Kate Winslet in The Reader

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams in Doubt
Penélope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis in Doubt
Taraji P Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler

Best Animated Film
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E

Best Director
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, David Fincher
Frost/Nixon, Ron Howard
Milk, Gus Van Sant
The Reader, Stephen Daldry
Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle

Art Direction
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

Cinematography
Changeling, Tom Stern
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight, Wally Pfister
The Reader, Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
Slumdog Millionaire, Anthony Dod Mantle

Original Screenplay
Frozen River, Written by Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky, Written by Mike Leigh
In Bruges, Written by Martin McDonagh
Milk, Written by Dustin Lance Black
WALL-E, Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

Adapted Screenplay
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
Doubt, Written by John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon, Screenplay by Peter Morgan
The Reader, Screenplay by David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire, Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

Costume Design
Australia, Catherine Martin
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Jacqueline West
The Duchess, Michael O'Connor
Milk, Danny Glicker
Revolutionary Road, Albert Wolsky

Film Editing
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
The Dark Knight, Lee Smith
Frost/Nixon, Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
Milk, Elliot Graham
Slumdog Millionaire, Chris Dickens

Achievement in Makeup
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Original Score
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Alexandre Desplat
Defiance, James Newton Howard
Milk, Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire, A R Rahman
WALL-E, Thomas Newman

Original Song
Down to Earth from WALL-E
Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire
O Saya from Slumdog Millionaire

Sound Editing
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

Sound Mixing
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

Best Documentary Feature
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

Best Documentary Short Subject
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306

Foreign Language Film
The Baader Meinhof Complex, Germany
The Class, France
Departures, Japan
Revanche, Austria
Waltz with Bashir, Israel

Best Animated Short Film
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory - Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up

Best Live Action Short Film
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)

The winners will be announced on February 22nd 2009 (US Time). The Philippine broadcast partner is ABS-CBN 2.

The Razzies (dis)honors The Love Guru

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:19:00 +0000

The Love Guru took home 3 wins from 2009 Annual Golden Raspberry Awards. It includes Worst Picture, Worst Actor and Worst Screenplay. Paris Hilton’s The Hottie and The Nottie that turns out to be the nottie grabs 2 wins for Worst Actress and Worst Screen Couple shared with Christin Lakin or Joel David Moore. Paris is the Winslet of Razzies after winning also the Worst Supporting Actress for her performance in Repo: The Genetic Opera. Pierce Brosnan’s performance in Mamma Mia! makes him this year’s Worst Supporting Actor. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull take home the Worst Remake/ Sequel/ Prequel/ Riff-off award. The Worst Director is no other than the Razzies favorite Uwe Boll of In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale. He is also the recipient of Worst Career Achievement award.

The Dark Knight hits $1,000,000,000++

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 02:55:00 +0000

I really love this film. And I wonder if The Dark Knight (TDK) will join the other three movies that are sitting on the $1 Billion mark on the box office (Titanic, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest). When the time TDK is pulled out on most of the cinemas somewhere in January 2009, hitting the $1 Billion mark is impossible because only 6 screens are showing it. But also that same month, WB announces the US re-release of TDK due to Oscars voting season. TDK is again showed on major cinemas including IMAX. The chance is growing big for TDK. So these past few weeks I always check Box Office Mojo if The Dark Knight already reach the $1 Billion mark on the box office. It was February 20, 2009 when TDK reach the whooping $1 Billion mark.

I.Am.Legend[2007]DvDrip-aXXo

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 02:45:00 +0000

Who is aXXo? What is the real identity behind this four letter alias? This has been the question since aXXo start uploading quality movie files over the internet in November 2005. He is tagged as the modern-day Robin Hood of the movie industry. Much as the film fans loved aXXo, the movie makers hated him/her (or they).

There is no doubt why aXXo is popular on major torrent portal such as The Pirate Bay and Mininova. He only uploads good quality DVD rips in a small file size that is mostly 700mb. That is quality meet convenience. aXXo is also often imitated by other uploaders but the users are already aware of these fakers. In using torrent such as Bit Torrent client in downloading movies, you are not sure that you are downloading a watchable one unless it is done downloading. Sometimes it is encrypted to a RAR file mostly contains virus and malwares and some also requires certain player that you must purchase. To avoid these instances, aXXo’s followers are there to makes some assistance. Like in Mininova that enables the users to comment on the torrent they download if it is legit or a fake. Many users will comment on what is the audio and video quality, certain issues regarding the codec, compatibility on media players and others. So you can look into whether the torrent is worth downloading and do not waste hours for nothing.

Knowing these things might say I do something illegal, who does not? There is lot of questions on aXXo’s identity that is hard to establish for now. If whether aXXo is a he/she or even they?aXXo can be an individual or a syndicate that hide under this codename. Where does aXXolive? Where do those DVDs came from. If you will look at the big picture, aXXo must be someone or group that has lot of money to purchase those DVDs. If that so, aXXo is truly a philanthropist. Or it can be an inside job; he might have had access to the DVDs before it is released. Thinking that aXXo only uploads DVD rips but sometimes he preceded uploading the film even before the DVD hit the market. Today aXXo seems to be a hot target on the authorities because film outfits are losing lots and lots of money. But for now aXXo's true identity remain mysterious and unknown.

To Whom It May Concern

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:46:00 +0000

I created this blog to express my ideas, opinion or thoughts about my life and some other things. I expect that whoever read the following blog posts must respect my opinions and writings. If you find the article annoying or just a waste you can click here.

If you have comments or violent reactions you can use the comment section or email your message to onepakjwan@gmail.com.

Unix Make History:1234567890 Day

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:12:00 +0000

This Friday The 13th is making a history. Beside that at this day, the remake of Friday The 13th is set to be released widely on theaters. Also another record is going to happen on this date. The Unix clock already reach 1.2 Billion second mark after it is created on January 1, 1970. And what is special on this day is the clock will reach the 1234567890 seconds mark. According to 1234567890day.com it's time to party and there are several places around the world that will celebrate this Unix milestone.

These are some sites that are dedicted to this event:

1234567890day.com

1234567890countdown.co.uk

coolepochcountdown

Petition: No more The Joker on Batman films

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 02:34:00 +0000

The fans of Heath Ledger are calling for a petition to all movie studios to remove The Joker on future Batman movies. After his untimely death, the fans believe that no one could play The Joker better than Ledger. And also being a top contender on this year’s Oscar Best Supporting Actor, Ledger fans said that he portrayed The Joker the best.

The petition is found on the site TheUltimateJoker.com.

How about Jack Nicholson?

Lite-On 24x DVD burner: Today's Fastest

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 02:30:00 +0000

Lite-On announced that they will release their fastest DVD writer this year. The new models having a speed of 24x is also packed with Lite –On LabelTag technology. LabelTag is PLDS patented new feature that allows users to create circular label at the data side of the disc. Label tag will work on almost all standard DVD-Rs. Beside Label tag it is also acquires the LightScribe technology that allows users to print label on the disc on special LightScribe compatible disc. SmartErase is also included on the new models. No price yet but the new models. The iHAS324 (with SmartErase) and is available from April 2009. The iHAS624 (LabelTag and LightScribe drive with LabelTag will be available from May 2009.

Crank vs. Crank 2 Poster

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 07:15:00 +0000

What do you think about this movie poster? I find it cool and I'm looking forward to the third installment. Crank 2 High Voltage is the sequel of Crank (2006) starred by "the transporter" Jason Statham. Crank 2 play date is April 17, 2009.

Amazon's Kindle 2: The next iPod?

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 06:48:00 +0000

If you love reading fiction/non-fiction novels, self help, newspaper and other stuff then you have to take a look at the enhanced e-book reader or what Amazon.com called Kindle 2. This is the latest version of their Kindle which has a bunch of enhancement for comfortable and convenient reading experience. According to Amazon.com there are almost 230,000 available on their store.

What's New?

Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines

Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback

Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots

Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required

Improved Display: Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and even crisper images

Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging

More Storage: Take your library with you; holds over 1,500 books

Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns

Read-to-Me: With the new Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud to you

Large Selection: Over 230,000 books plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and blogs available

Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise

Friday The 13th (2009)

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 06:28:00 +0000

This remake is directed by Marcus Nispel (Pathfinder, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)). It is starred by Jared Padalecki (Supernatural), Danielle Panabaker and Derek Mears as Jason. Friday The 13^th (1980) earn $39,754,601 at the box-office with $700,000 budget. This remake has an estimated budget of $16,000,000. Will this remake give justice to the well loved Friday The 13^th?

2009 BAFTA: And the winners are…

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 03:50:00 +0000

Danny Boyle once again bagged a Best Director award on this year’s Orange British Academy Film Awards of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).His film Slumdog Millionaire take home seven wins out of 11 nominations. While David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button got three out of 11 nods. With double leading actress nomination for The Reader and Revolutionary Road, Kate Winslet takes home the Best Actress award for The Reader, while The Wrestler Mickey Rourke bagged the Best Actor award. Once again Heath Ledger won the Best Supporting Actor category. After the snob in Annie, Wall-E once again won this year’s Best Animated Film.

Best Film
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire

Outstanding British Film
Hunger
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
Slumdog Millionaire
Winner: Man on Wire

Animated Film
Persepolis
Waltz with Bashir
Winner: WALL-E

The Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film
Simon Chinn (Producer) – Man On Wire
Judy Craymer (Producer) – Mamma Mia!
Garth Jennings (Writer) – Son of Rambow
Solon Papadopoulos, Roy Boulter (Producers) – Of Time And The City
Winner: Steve McQueen (Director/Writer) – Hunger

Director
Clint Eastwood, Changeling
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
Winner: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Leading Actor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Winner: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Leading Actress
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Kristin Scott Thomas, I've Loved You So Long
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
Winner: Kate Winslet, The Reader

Supporting Actor
Robert Downey Jr, Tropic Thunder
Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Brad Pitt, Burn After Reading
Winner: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Doubt
Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire
Tilda Swinton, Burn After Reading
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Winner: Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Original Screenplay
Burn After Reading, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Changeling, J Michael Straczynski
I've Loved You So Long, Philippe Claudel
Milk, Dustin Lance Black
Winner: In Bruges, Martin McDonagh

Adapted Screenplay
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Eric Roth
Frost/Nixon, Peter Morgan
The Reader, David Hare
Revolutionary Road, Justin Haythe
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy

Film Not in the English Language
The Baader Meinhof Complex
Gomorrah
Persepolis
Waltz with Bashir
Winner: I've Loved You So Long

Music
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Alexandre Desplat
The Dark Knight, Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard
Mamma Mia!, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus
WALL-E, Thomas Newman
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire, A. R. Rahman

Cinematography
Changeling, Tom Stern
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight, Wally Pfister
The Reader, Chris Menges, Roger Deakins
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire, Anthony Dod Mantle

Editing
Changeling, Joel Cox, Gary D. Roach
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall
The Dark Knight, Lee Smith
Frost/Nixon, Mike Hill, Dan Hanley
In Bruges, Jon Gregory
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire, Chris Dickens

Production Designer
Changeling, James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis
The Dark Knight, Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando
Revolutionary Road, Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt
Slumdog Millionaire, Mark Digby, Michelle Day
Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Donald Graham Burt, Victor J Zolfo

Costume Design
Changeling, Deborah Hopper
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Jacqueline West
The Dark Knight, Lindy Hemming
Revolutionary Road, Albert Wolsky
Winner: The Duchess, Michael O'Connor

Sound
Changeling, Walt Martin, Alan Robert Murray, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff
The Dark Knight, Lora Hirschberg, Richard King, Ed Novick, Gary Rizzo
Quantum of Solace, Jimmy Boyle, Eddy Joseph, Chris Munro, Mike Prestwood Smith, Mark Taylor
WALL-E, Ben Burtt, Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Matthew Wood
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire, Glenn Freemantle, Resul Pookutty, Richard Pryke, Tom Sayers, Ian Tapp

Special Visual Effects
The Dark Knight, Chris Corbould, Nick Davis, Paul Franklin, Tim Webber
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Pablo Helman
Iron Man, Shane Patrick Mahan, John Nelson, Ben Snow
Quantum of Solace, Chris Corbould, Kevin Tod Haug
Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Eric Barba, Craig Barron, Nathan McGuinness, Edson Williams

Make Up and Hair
The Dark Knight, Peter Robb-King
The Duchess, Daniel Phillips, Jan Archibald
Frost/Nixon, Edouard Henriques, Kim Santantonio
Milk, Steven E. Anderson, Michael White
Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Jean Black, Colleen Callaghan

Short Animation
Codswallop
Varmints
Winner: Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death

Short Film
Kingsland #1 The Dreamer
Love You More
Ralph
Voyage D'Affaires
Winner: September

The Orange Rising Star Award
Michael Cera
Michael Fassbender
Rebecca Hall
Toby Kebbell
Winner: Noel Clarke

Audi R8 on Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 15:38:00 +0000

I don’t know a lot of things when it comes to cars. So I don’t give lot of details with this very good looking car. It definitely makes a noise these past few years in the world of car shows. It was 2006 when Audi Germany introduced R8. Here is the specs: The Audi R8 is equipped with a 4.2 litre Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) V8 engine developing 420 PS (309 kW; 414 hp) and 430 N·m (320 ft·lbf), and is basically the same engine used in the B7 Audi RS4, but modified to use dry sump lubrication. A variant with a 5.2 litre Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) V10 engine was added on the 9th of December 2008, which produces 386 kW (525 PS; 518 hp) and 530 N·m (390 ft·lbf) [Wikipedia]. Audi R8 is priced for around US $110,000 but it will cost twice here in the Philippines and that is roughly Php 8,000,000.

R8 was featured in the movie Iron Man, driven by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). The durability and safety of Audi R8 is accidentally tested on the filming of Iron Man. There is a scene that the R8 should flip over, but it could not. That shows how the body of the car is absorbing the impact rather than flipping over. And also another scene that they want Iron Man grab the roof of R8 and split open but the roof is just peeled and not what they wanted.

It is spotted on the first shooting day of the Transformers sequel Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen. Before the big question is on which side the R8 belongs? On the recently released Transformers 2 trailer that premiers at the Super Bowl confirmed thatAudi R8 is one of the Decepticons so sorry for the Autobot fanatic that loves the R8.

Henry Selick's Coraline

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:02:00 +0000

Coraline is another stop motion film from Henry Selick. The man behind “The Nightmare Before Christmas” which is more often credited to Tim Burton. This time he stepped out on the shadow of Burton. It is adapted from the book written by Neil Gaiman with the same title. It features the voice of Dakota Fanning as Coraline Jones, Teri Hatcher as the Mother. Coraline is also the longest stop-motion animated film up to date with the running time of 1hr 41min.

Mapping Out the Pirates!

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 03:47:00 +0000

The Pirate Bay is one of the leading torrent portals today. And they have recently upgraded their tracker server. With that upgrade they also pointed where all the connections to the Pirate Bay tracker come from. The map charts the origin of the users who are connecting to The Pirate Bay's trackers.

According to the map, most of the “online pirates” are Chinese that is 25.43% (as of today). The percentage of connection is calculated in real time. The flames show hot spots that means a high percentage of connections. As the marker color goes lighter, the percentage of connection goes lower. Snowflakes indicates close to 0%.

Current Top 10:(when i created this post)

China: 25.43%

US: 8.98%

Spain: 7.98%

UK: 5.68%

Taiwan: 4.52

Poland: 3.58%

Canada: 3.57%

Italy: 3.51%

Japan: 3.0%

France: 2.99%

Philippines: 0.49%

Type rest of the post here

Access Gmail Offline

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 06:35:00 +0000

What is new with our favorite web based e-mail? Recently on Gmail Official blog they posted about the new Gmail feature that enable users to access their Gmail account offline. This feature will help the users to access and read their messages even if they have lost the connection or there is no available connection. Gmail uses Gears to download the local cache of your mail as long as you are connected to the network. It is synchronized with the Gmail servers. Your messages are saved on your hard disk. To use this feature you have to enable it first on the Settings tab on your Gmail account. After that, click the Offline tab to install offline access for Gmail. It is only on a testing stage so don’t be harsh to Gmail if something wrong happens. After the install you can now access your email even if you don’t have connection. If you will ask about sending email, of course you cannot send email if you don’t have internet connection. But the good thing is all your message that you sent offline are saved on your outbox and will automatically sent of you gain the connection. Gmail automatically go to offline mode if you lose the connection. Another feature is setting your email to “flaky connection mode” if you have unreliable internet connection or slow connection. It will use the cache but still synchronized to the server. According to Gmail “Our goal is to provide nearly the same browser-based Gmail experience whether you're using the data cached on your computer or talking directly to the server.”

If you will ask about what if you uses another computer to access your Gmail account with your offline Gmail is enabled does Gmail download your messages on that computer? I don’t think so, because I think you must repeat the process of activating offline access on that computer to make your account available to offline access on that computer. By the way Gmail is welcoming feedback about this new feature. Check out their Official blog.

Getting com"portable" with apps

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:27:00 +0000

Like it? Buy it here

If you don’t have a laptop to bring anywhere you go. And you have to use the computer but sometimes your favorite program or frequently used apps are not available. And the only option is to download the program that takes a lot of time. Good thing that there is an existing solution to your problem that you might not aware and that is the use of portable applications. You only need a USB flash drive, portable drive etc. with these portable applications installed and now you can use your favorite application. There are wide range of portable applications that you can use for both Mac and Windows. But be careful on the portable application that you download because it might have bundled with spywares. Here are some frequently used applications.

Internet

Mozilla Firefox (Windows) (Mac)

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Screen Actors Guild Awards: The winners are:

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:18:00 +0000

Actors honor their own again with the announcement of this year’s Screen Actors Guild Award winners.

The winners are:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost Nixon
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
Winner: Sean Penn – Milk

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet -Revolutionary Road
Winner: Meryl Streep –Doubt

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey Jr - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire
Winner: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Winner: Kate Winslet - The Reader

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Wanted
Winner: The Dark Knight

45th Life Achievement Award
James Earl Jones

The Television Category winners:

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

Boston Legal

Dexter

House

The Closer

Winner - Mad Men

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

Michael C. Hall, Dexter

Jon Hamm, Mad Men

William Shatner, Boston Legal

James Spader, Boston Legal

Winner - Hugh Laurie, House

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Holly Hunter, Saving Grace

Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Winner - Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Ralph Fiennes, Bernard and Doris

Kevin Spacey, Recount

Kiefer Sutherland, 24: Redemption

Tom Wilkinson, John Adams

Winner - Paul Giamatti, John Adams

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Laura Dern, Recount

Shirley MacLaine, Coco Chanel

Phylicia Rashad, A Raisin in the Sun

Susan Sarandon, Bernard and Doris

Winner- Laura Linney, John Adams

81st Academy Awards: The nominees are...

noreply@blogger.com (ark) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:39:00 +0000

The 81st Academy Awards nominees have been revealed. David Fincher’s drama/fantasy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button received 13 nominations including Best Director (A nod behind the record by Titanic and All About Eve with 14). Benjamin Button itself Brad Pitt received a Best Actor nomination. One of the big winners on the recently concluded Golden Globes, Slumdog Millionaire received 10 nods. It includes Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Original Score which Slumdog bags on the Globes. Danny Boyle’s direction on Slumdog is exceptional so I think he is a runaway winner for the Directing award. A.R. Rhaman lively “Jai Ho” and “O Saya” earn Best Original Score nomination is a top contender on the category. Although no Best Director and Best Picture noms, Christopher Nolan’s box office hit The Dark Knight received 8 nominations. Heath Ledger earns another posthumous Best Supporting Actor nomination for his memorable performance as the Joker. Gus Van Sant’s Milk also received 8 nominations which include Best Picture and Best Director. Another Globes big winner Kate Winslet received another Best Actress nomination for The Reader over her performance in Revolutionary Road. The Reader and Frost/Nixon both have 5 Oscar noms. Meryl Streep received her 15th nomination for Best Actress on her performance in Doubt. Robert Downy Jr. Best Supporting Actor nod is a surprise for his performance in Tropic Thunder. Clint Eastwood’s Changeling is almost left behind with 3 nominations including Best Actress for Angelina Jolie while there is no Gran Torino.

The complete list of the nominees: